Ephesians Prayer Guide - Day 19

Pray for families and marriages today. The enemy would love nothing more than to destroy the family unit, but we serve a God who is more than able. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask for or imagine. Stand in the gap for marriages that are struggling today. He is a God of restoration and resurrection. The family is an earthly picture of Christ and His Church. Jesus fights for those He calls His own.

Pray Ephesians 5:21-33

And out of your reverence for Christ be supportive of each other in love. For wives, this means being supportive to your husbands like you are tenderly devoted to our Lord, 23 for the husband provides leadership for the wife, just as Christ provides leadership for his church, as the Savior and Reviver of the body. 24 In the same way the church is devoted to Christ, let the wives be devoted to their husbands in everything.

25 And to the husbands, you are to demonstrate love for your wives with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to us, his bride. For he died for us, sacrificing himself 26 to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God. 27 All that he does in us is designed to make us a mature church for his pleasure, until we become a source of praise to him—glorious and radiant, beautiful and holy, without fault or flaw.

28 Husbands have the obligation of loving and caring for their wives the same way they love and care for their own bodies, for to love your wife is to love your own self. 29 No one abuses his own body, but pampers it—serving and satisfying its needs. That’s exactly what Christ does for his church! 30 He serves and satisfies us as members of his body.

31 For this reason a man is to leave his father and his mother and lovingly hold to his wife, since the two have become joined as one flesh. 32 Marriage is the beautiful design of the Almighty, a great and sacred mystery—meant to be a vivid example of Christ and his church. 33 So every married man should be gracious to his wife just as he is gracious to himself. And every wife should be tenderly devoted to her husband. TPT™ (emphasis is mine)

The beauty of the family unit, beginning with the husband and wife – is a powerful picture of Jesus (the bridegroom) and the Church (the bride). When we understand this, we understand why the enemy would have such a target against marriages. Stand in the gap – for your own, for those who are doing well and especially for those who are struggling. It’s time for the Church to get ANGRY at this all out assault and go to battle!

If you are a WIFE, go back to the passage and pray that you would embody those characteristics that Paul says wives should be. And pray for your husband and the call God has on him and his leadership. (If you are single, pray that for your future spouse and/or for parents, pastors…)

If you are a HUSBAND, go back to the passage and pray that you would embody those characteristics that Paul says a husband should be. And pray for your wife and for the call God has on her and her supportive role to the marriage. (If you are single, pray that for your future spouse and/or for parents, pastors…)

Pray for the ONENESS of marriage – pray for your own marriage and pray for those marriages you feel led to pray for. And pray for God to give you revelation knowledge into this picture of “oneness”. It is POWERFUL!

And now let me speak to the wives. Be devoted to your own husbands, so that even if some of them do not obey the Word of God, your kind conduct may win them over without you saying a thing. 2 For when they observe your pure, godly life before God, it will impact them deeply. 3–4 Let your true beauty come from your inner personality, not a focus on the external. For lasting beauty comes from a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is precious in God’s sight and is much more important than the outward adornment of elaborate hair, jewelry, and fine clothes.

5 Holy women of long ago who had set their hopes in God beautified themselves with lives lived in deference to their own husbands’ authority. 6 For example, our “mother,” Sarah, devoted herself to her husband, Abraham, and even called him “master.” And you have become her daughters when you do what is right without fear and intimidation.

7 Husbands, you in turn must treat your wives with tenderness,viewing them as feminine partners who deserve to be honored, for they are co-heirs with you of the “divine grace of life,” so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

8 Now, this is the goal: to live in harmony with one another and demonstrate affectionate love, sympathy, and kindness toward other believers. Let humility describe who you are as you dearly love one another. 9 Never retaliate when someone treats you wrongly, nor insult those who insult you, but instead, respond by speaking a blessing over them—because a blessing is what God promised to give you. 10 For the Scriptures tell us:
Whoever wants to embrace true life
and find beauty in each day
11 must stop speaking evil, hurtful words
and never deceive in what they say.
Always turn from what is wrong
and cultivate what is good;
eagerly pursue peace in every relationship,
making it your prize.
12 For the eyes of the Lord Yahweh rest upon the godly,
and his heart responds to their prayers.
But he turns his back on those who practice evil. 1 Peter 3:1-12 TPT™

Again, HUSBANDS pray for your role in the marriage as laid out in 1 Peter 3. WIVES, pray for your role as laid out in 1 Peter 3. Verses 8-12 are in general reference to relationships, but also apply to marriage – pray through this passage for your marriage. If you are married to an unbeliever (as I was for years), stand on the Word to win them over by your conduct, and without words. The Lord is mighty to save!

Pray not only for marriages and struggling marriages, but also for those who are divorced, widowed, single… We are all part of the same body. We are all called to be part of families. Pray for how you can invite those who need family, into your own – or pray for God to lead you to a family. Pray for those God brings to mind as you read (and pray through) the following verses.

God sets the lonely in families… Psalm 68:6 NIV

While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside, asking for him to come out and speak with them. 47 Then someone said, “Look, your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to have a word with you.” 48 But Jesus just looked at him and said, “Let me introduce you to my true mother and brothers.” 49 Then gesturing to the disciples gathered around him, he said, “Look closely, for this is my true family. 50 When you obey my heavenly Father, that makes you a part of my true family.” Matthew 12:46-50 TPT™

And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God… For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us[ from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him. Romans 8:15, 29 TPT™

Be devoted to tenderly loving your fellow believers as members of one family. Try to outdo yourselves in respect and honor of one another. Romans 12:10 TPT™

Beloved friends, what does all this imply? When you conduct your meetings, you should always let everything be done to build up the church family. Whether you share a song of praise, a teaching, a divine revelation, or a tongue and interpretation, let each one contribute what strengthens others. 1 Corinthians 14:26 TPT™

Finally, as members of God’s beloved family, we must go after the one who wanders from the truth and bring him back. James 5:19 TPT™

Thank God for the blessing of family and marriage in your life! Pray for marriages and families, all day long, as you feel led. Raise up the battle cry!