“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” (I Peter 3:7).
“It’s hard to be humble when you’re so good.” I know a few men that really think that way. They’re married to unhappy women. When a man treats his wife as though he is God’s gift to women ~ he isn’t. What kind of a lug-headed dimwit would treat the woman he loves like a slave? Do I see any hands?
Consideration is the first thing we must give our wives. Thoughtfulness, kindness, respect, tenderness, warmheartedness, compassion — all of these words illuminate consideration. Husbands need to be attentive to their wives’ needs. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Jesus died for the church — too many husbands have an “undying” love for their wives. The truth is that our wives don’t need us to die for them — they need us to live for them. When chivalry goes out the window, you know consideration went before it. When the husband never opens his wife’s car door, never vacuums the floor, never takes out the trash, never does something thoughtful that shows his love — he needn’t bother to pray because God won’t hear you.
When men wonder why their prayers aren’t being answered, it may be that they are hindering them. God says to be considerate and treat wives with respect. Do it or don’t bother praying. If there were no other reason to treat wives with consideration and respect, keeping prayers from stopping at the ceiling would be good enough. Actually, it’s not good enough. God commands men to treat their wives with holiness, in the form of consideration and respect, recognizing them as having a feminine quality deserving of such dignified treatment. He wants husbands to be aware that wives are heirs with us of God’s gracious gift of life. If husbands ignore God on this — He will ignore our prayers. There, I said it again.
Husbands, we can bring God glory by lifting our wives up to Him in prayer. We can love our wives by the considerate words we speak and by our respectful attitudes. “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22).