How to Pray as a CoupleSample

Overcoming Barriers

For most people, at some point in their lives, prayer has felt intimidating. For that reason, we are going to use this time to share practical tools that we believe will make praying together a little easier-- and hopefully very meaningful.

What is Prayer?
Prayer is talking to or connecting with God. We have found a sense of humility and surrender comes upon us when we take our concerns and praises to the Lord. As we speak to God and contemplate Scripture, we are convicted by the Holy Spirit to align our lives with His will. Connection and surrender are vulnerable and powerful, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the enemy wants make this difficult for us.

Everyone faces barriers that keep them from feeling free to pray. Asking our partner to pray can feel risky; we may fear rejection. We might not want to change, cry, or feel weak, so avoidance may creep in. Some feel intimidated, citing that they didn’t learn fancy prayers as a child, so they want to leave prayer to the “professionals.” Experiencing busyness, facing distractions, and plain-old forgetting can be reasons why people fail to pray. There are many barriers that keep people from prayer, but as we identify our barriers, we can work to eliminate them one by one.

If y’all are at different places in your prayer journey, that’s okay. Our time together can help you meet one another where you are and help you get where you want to be in the future.

Take a moment to consider your barriers; as you think about it, turn your thoughts into a silent prayer. For example, you could think, “My barrier is not wanting to be rejected.” You can turn that in to a prayer by saying, “Lord, I think one of the barriers that keeps me from praying with ____ is that I don’t want to be rejected. Help me know what to do next.”

To keep it simple today, take turns reading the following prayer. Yes, that will mean you read the prayer twice. ;)

Lord,
Thank you that we can pray as a couple. Would You help us gain insight regarding what keeps us from praying together? I am committed to seeking You as a couple.
Amen.

Take turns asking your partner the question(s) at the end of each devotional.

Discussion Question:
What are your prayer barriers?