Gary Smalley, a marriage expert, used to start his talks with a funny story about his wife. When they were first married, he would tell the crowd, “My wife treats me like a Greek god. Every morning she offers me burnt offerings.” It used to get laughs, but he also saw it was demeaning his wife, who was often in the crowd. God convicted him, and he stopped. He would then tell the husbands honor your wives.
1 Peter 3:7
“You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”
Put Forth the Effort
Peter packs a lot in this verse. He tells husbands to live in understanding with their wives, treat her with care, and show her honor so that their prayers will be heard. I think if husbands focused on these three things, most problems in marriages would disappear. Just putting forth the effort to try to understand your wife will go a long way. You may never fully understand them, and at times it will be a moving target, but if she sees the effort, it will have an impact.
Treat Them with Care
Husbands are also to treat their wives with care because they are physically weaker than the man. Now I know many women don’t want to hear this because they want equality, but biology doesn’t lie. God created men physically stronger than women, and husbands are to be aware of this. They can underestimate their strength and hurt their wives. Another way that you can hurt your wife is by dishonoring them. Joking at their expense or embarrassing them are just a few of the ways we dishonor. Instead, we need to compliment them and speak highly of them.
Husbands Honor Your Wives
If we neglect to do these three things, we are told that our prayers will be hindered. Maybe God is not answering your prayers because you aren’t treating your wife right. Husbands, honor your wives. Work at understanding them, treat them with care and look for ways to honor them. When you do, your marriage will grow deeper in love, and your prayers will be heard.