When we were newlyweds, we heard a well-known pastor and author share that never, not in all his days of doing ministry, had he seen a couple divorce if they daily prayed with and for each other.

See, prayer is like a window into the soul; it helps you see and understand better what is really going on inside your mate’s heart and mind. Prayer is also like super glue; it weaves hearts together like a cord of three strands (you, your mate and God), creating a bond that “is not easily broken.” (Eccl 4:12)

We had always prayed together – over meals, over our coming and goings, over decisions. Later, when we began our Love-Wise ministry, we taught couples to pray together. We simply shared some of the simple ways we tucked our hearts into the heaven’s wisdom. If you view prayer as an ongoing conversation with the God who created you two, designed your love and set you on the path to discover then dwell in love together, it is easier to incorporate a prayer lifestyle.

If you’re looking for reasons or reminders to pray each day with your spouse, check out the following suggestions.

1. Alarm clock: One study shows that couples who say “good morning” have happier days than couples that do not greet each other in the morning. Say a prayer with or for your mate as you rise each day. Psalms 56:16 encourages this: “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning … ” Ask the mighty One to go before you both and help you walk alongside your Creator.

2. Coffee cup or juice glass: Pray that your spouse drinks deeply of the truth of the Word.  Psalms 36:8: “They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.”

3. Steering wheel: Entreat God to help you and your mate give the steering wheel of life to Him. “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Ps 25:5)

4. Rearview mirror: Pray your mate lets go of regret and forgives. A friend of ours once said, “Life is too short to live looking in the rearview mirror.”

5. Rocking chair: “Worry is like a rocking chair, it is something to do but it doesn’t go anywhere.” Pray for the stresses of your mate. Pray he or she learns how to apply the release of life’s concerns by “casting your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

6. Briefcase or backpack: Ask God to bless the work of your mate and to lead him or her to opportunity. Request that “the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.” (Deut. 15:10)

7. Sink or shower: Pray that your mate keeps a clean heart before God. That he or she might pray thoughts like those found in Psalms 51: 1-2: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”

8. Laundry basket or luggage: Pray that you and your mate will let God unpack your unhealthy baggage then pack in the power, provision and protection found in obedience to God’s Word.

9. Diaper bag, toy or family photo: Pray for your mate as a parent. Pray that he or she see children and grandchildren as a blessing. (Psalm 127:3)

10. Watch: Pray that you and your mate will “make the most of your time.” (Eph 5:16)

11. Bible: That God’s Word would be a light to your mate’s path (Ps 119:105) and he or she might see the Word as a treasure (Proverbs 2).

Almost anything can be a prayer prompt. When Bill was a lead pastor, we lived quite near the church. When he drove his car by a certain light pole, if he still wasn’t ready to release his church responsibilities and re-enter in his role of husband and daddy, he would drive around the block again, praying for each of us in the family. In this way, his heart shifted homeward.

What prayer prompts can you find in your daily routine?

You may also be interested in Count Your Blessings: Prioritizing Prayers Of Gratitude