In I Peter chapter 3 verse 7, it says, “You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Recently, while reading this passage, I noticed the last part of the verse which states, “that your prayers may not be hindered.” Peter is telling husbands that they need to be understanding to their wives and show them honor. Any reasonable husband could concur with this statement. When we husbands live like this (showing understanding, tender care, and honor), our prayers will not be hindered. If we do not live like this, our prayers will be hindered. The important fact to consider is that our actions can actually result in a damaged prayer life.
Peter goes on in verses 8 and 9 to call all of us, not just husbands, to be sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted and humble. We are not to return evil for evil but to bless those who are unkind to us. Then he explains why we should live like this, which is essentially the same kind of argument as in 3:7 – that you may obtain a blessing. In other words, prayers are hindered if you don’t live this way.
So there is a biblical truth that we can now state with great confidence from these texts: Christians must endeavor to live in a way that will not hinder their prayers.
It has three parts:
1. It implies that prayers can be hindered. Our prayer life can be clogged, blocked.
2. What blocks prayer is often our lives–the way we live, the way we relate to wives or husbands or kids or parents or colleagues or neighbors.
3. Opening the way of prayer to God involves a conscious endeavor. In each of these texts, Peter is telling us to resolve to do something so that our prayers will not be hindered.
For the elders, Tony Williams