Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. (Ephesians 5:22–26)

There’s no institution more honored by God than marriage. There’s no institution more persecuted by the enemy either. What’s the hope for marriages in our communities? Jesus Christ is the answer. “To live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21) is a huge remedy for marriages plagued by dissatisfaction and despair. Are our marriages summarized by Christ? Are our lives filled and overflowing Christ? Is prayer at the heart of our families? Is God’s Word celebrated, enjoyed, and rehearsed as a common part of daily life in our homes? The passage above verifies this claim—marriage is about Jesus. He’s the heart, soul, mind, and strength of a God-exalting union between man and woman. Jesus is so intimately involved in marriage that he calls our marriages the clearest human picture of his love for the church. The fight for marriages is worth it. What’s at stake? Peoples’ view of God is at stake. Let’s pray for Christ-centered marriages.

Father, today I lift up marriages in our community. I pray that you would be glorified in the institution of marriage, the beautiful display of the love that your Son Jesus Christ has for his Bride, the church. Bring holy awe back to marriages. I ask today that marriages in my area would be filled with Jesus Christ. That the very life of the marriages would be him—not personality or human will, but you, my Lord. Teach wives to submit to their husbands as the church submits to you. Enable husbands to lead and love as Christ leads and loves the church. May our submission be in Christ. Don’t allow husbands to lead their wives into godlessness and don’t allow wives to follow their husband into wickedness. I pray for the marriages of Christians today to be a bright and shining light for Jesus. I pray for faithful men and women, sober in our high calling and resolute that our marital unions bring ultimate glory to Jesus Christ. Fill Christian marriages with a sacrificial love, a humble leadership, and a forgiving heart. May husbands nourish and cherish their brides. May wives respond with great joy to follow their husbands in loving, enjoying, and sharing Christ. I ask that the Word of God would fuel godly marriages and would be the foundation for families. Let marriage bring sanctification to each member in the family. I pray each member of the family would fall more and more in love with Jesus. And, in closing, I ask for those wounded by the pain of divorce to find healing in the powerful love of our ever-present Savior, Jesus Christ. In your name I pray, Amen.

Prayer Points

• Pray for husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church.
• Intercede for wives to respect and follow their husbands as they lead the family.
• Seek God for families to be founded on Christ, and that each member would become more Christlike.
• Plead with God to glorify his name in Christian marriages.
• Cry out to God for healing for those wounded by the pain and trauma of divorce.

Taken from the prayer guide Praying God’s Word Over Your City by Trey and Mary Anne Kent (PrayerShop). Used with permission.