Short Answer
If your spouse is reluctant to pray together, don’t force it—start by encouraging shared prayer life in smaller ways. Talk about prayer, share requests, and support each other spiritually, even if you’re not praying out loud together yet.
The Overview
When one spouse desires to pray together and the other is hesitant, it can become a source of frustration. However, there may be various reasons behind that reluctance—discomfort, insecurity, or personal habits. Instead of pushing for immediate change, it is wise to approach the situation with understanding and patience.
A helpful starting point is communication. Ask your spouse about their hesitation and seek to understand their perspective. At the same time, begin building a shared spiritual connection in simple ways—such as discussing prayer needs, sharing what you’re praying about, and inviting them to pray for specific things in your life.
You can also strengthen your connection by talking about how God is answering prayers. This keeps prayer central in your relationship without requiring a formal structure. Even sitting together while each person prays individually can be a meaningful step toward unity in spiritual life.
Ultimately, the goal is not to force a particular form of prayer, but to cultivate a shared heart for God. With time, encouragement, and gentle consistency, spiritual intimacy can grow naturally within the marriage.
Key Takeaways
- Do Not Force It
Respect your spouse’s current comfort level. - Start with Communication
Understand why they may be hesitant. - Share Prayer Requests
Build connection through mutual support. - Talk About God’s Work
Discuss answered prayers and spiritual growth. - Take Small Steps Together
Even silent or separate prayer can be meaningful. - Be Patient and Encouraging
Growth in this area often takes time.
Read Full Raw Transcript
[00:00:00 – 00:00:57] Laurely asks the question here, how should married couples approach prayer? My husband is a faithful man, loves Christ but reluctant to pray. How do I approach this? Seems to be a source of frustration as she goes on in this question. I I get that. Here’s the deal. Um, if you say, “My husband is a a godly man, a Christian man, reluctant to pray,” there could be a variety of reasons your husband is reluctant to pray with you. But I would certainly say even if you can’t have your husband pray
[00:00:28 – 00:01:25] with you and you’re asking him to um you might even ask him why and that might be enlightening to find out why he’s not interested in that. Uh but certainly I would say let’s share prayer requests. Let’s make sure that we’re talking about our prayer lives. And uh at the very most lurally I’d say lean into that and say would you be praying for this for me and let me pray for you and how can I pray for you better and share those things and even share as you spend time together whether it’s over a meal or
[00:00:57 – 00:01:52] sitting on the couch or whatever being able to say hey here’s what God is doing in answering my prayers and I think that’s a great great thing and even just having uh a discussion together about our prayer lives and having time even sitting in the same room. If that’s what it takes to pray to to the Lord personally by ourselves, fine. Uh that’s the best you can get out of your husband, then that that is what I might suggest.
