“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” (1 Peter 3:8)
Apostle Peter continues his exhortation for Christians to imitate Christ in relationships. After addressing wives in verse 1, he now turns to husbands. It is important to note that he is writing to Christian husbands who most likely believed that nothing was more important than their prayer life. I pray that the church be filled with such husbands.
Incidentally, I recall two passages in the bible where the concept of hindrance is used in relation to prayer. The first one is the book of Daniel 10:12, 13 where “the prince of the Persian kingdom”, a principality (see Ephesian 6:12ff), is said to have resisted the angel of the Lord who was sent with the answer to Daniel’s prayer. In other words, the principality tried to hinder the answer to Daniel’s prayer so that it will not reach him. I pray that no power or principality will succeed in hindering God’s answers to your prayers in Jesus’ name!
The second passage is from Isaiah 59:2 where we read: “…your sins have hidden his [God’s] face from you so that he will not hear.” I pray that the Lord will grant you the grace to seek to please him in all your undertakings and avail yourself of the blood of Jesus daily as to keep sins from hindering your prayers.
Significantly, Apostle Peter seems to be saying to Christian husbands that failure to imitate Christ’s example in relationships by being considerate to your wives and treating them with respect, as the weaker partners and co-heirs of the gracious gift of life, can/does cause hindrances to your prayers – it can/does adversely impact on your relationship with God. Needless to say that the husbands who believed that nothing was more important to them, their marriages and families, than their prayer life – or ongoing communication with the throne that rules the whole universe and beyond – knew exactly what to do.
True, wives are weaker partner, but not second class creatures. And, their being “weaker” is one of the very reasons apostle Peter has for their husbands to be considerate and treat them with respect, instead of disdain -lest the husbands cause their wives to stumble (fall) on account of their weaknesses and that would be spiritually disastrous for the couple and family, to say the least.
May the Lord grant us his grace sufficient so that we will not allow anything to hinder our prayers, in Jesus name!
