1 Peter 3:7 NKJV
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
The bible tells us that the husband is the head of the home, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. As the priest of the home, how a husband treats his wife is important to God. It is so critical that God says that the husband who does not honor his wife and live with them with understanding, God will not hear that man’s prayers. Now that is huge and interestingly, we don’t talk much about it.
Unforgiveness is another big issue that hinders prayer. The Lord’s prayer says forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. This means our forgiveness is pegged on whether we forgive others. If we hold on to bitterness and grudges in our hearts, then our prayers will be hindered.
David puts it this way,
Psalms 66:18 NKJV
If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
This means that if we have unconfessed sin in our lives that we are hanging on to, sin that we have become comfortable in, then that will hinder our prayers. God has given us a wonderful promise in that if we confess our sins, then he is faithful to forgive us.
May we always ensure that our hearts are in the right place as we come to the Lord in prayer. May we be diligent to fulfil the conditions he has set for us, that we may maximize on the opportunity that prayer presents in our life.
Reflections
If you are married, what is the state of your relationship with your spouse?
Do you have someone you have struggled to forgive? Why, and what’s the way forward?
Read Ezekiel 14:3. Are there things or even people that have become Idols in your life that could hinder your prayers?
