Prayer is the key to spiritual intimacy.
That sounds great, you may think, but what does that really mean?
We are three part beings, comprised of a spirit that has a soul, which lives in a body. As such, we can experience intimacy on three different levels: physical intimacy (our bodies), emotional intimacy (our souls), and spiritual intimacy (our spirits).
Praying with your spouse will develop spiritual intimacy and is as important to a marriage as physical intimacy. They are both manifestations of closeness in marriage. We all know how to get physically close, but when it comes to spiritual closeness, that is an entirely different ball game.
What Keeps Couples from Praying Together?
According to Joe Beam, author of "Becoming One," three major reasons exist.
- Spiritual Lethargy: Prayer is simply not given the importance it deserves. We see it as a pointless, boring, religious duty.
- Misplaced Priorities: There are many distractions calling for our attention. You may feel that you don't have time to pray together.
- Fear of Openness: Praying is a very personal act that leaves us vulnerable before God...and our spouse. Often, we don't want our spouse to see our spiritual weaknesses or the true state of our relationship with God.
Let's look at three important areas:
- First Peter 1:22 tells us we can purify our souls (our mind, WILL, and emotions) by obeying the truth. When we obey God's command to pray, our souls will be purified, and we'll begin to experience the power of prayer.
- We find time for the things that are important to us. We eat and sleep because they are basic physical needs. Realize prayer is a basic spiritual need.
- When we encourage our spouses when they pray, fear of openness will subside. Don't correct, interrupt, or criticize how your spouse prays. Let her/him open up to God without fear of the comments they may hear from you later.