I have attached a testimony of a student from Madagascar who attended the YWAM Family Ministry School Worcester Cape Town in 2013. Hope his sharing will encourage you to start on the journey of praying together as a couple.
Praying together as a couple changed our lives tremendously and blessed us beyond our wildest imaginations. Our situation changed and we found God and each other in a deeper and more intimate way.
We had no doubt about our call for mission, but our financial situation was so desperate that we started to think about other options. The same situation also put a lot of strain on our marriage. That’s when we decided to set aside time to pray TOGETHER – EVERYDAY.
Since we were married, we understood that marriage is teamwork. Unfortunately, understanding is not enough. Each of us comes to marriage thinking, unconsciously, that we know better. As we pray together, we started to be more aware of the importance of the contribution of the other. We see the synergy and experience the multiplication of powers as we did it together.
Twelve years of marriage is enough to learn to deal with each other’s weakness and learn to compromise. Nowadays, it is more about ONENESS than compromise. Praying together refined our decision-making process. As a team we are able to see things from different angles. Timing is accurate because we wait until both have peace before moving forward. We aren’t in agreement with everything. We are partner and we are not seeking to mold each other so we can think the same way. Moving in the same Spirit, however, we are able to deal with the difference in HARMONY.
With prayer, our focus is less on the problem and more on the solution. Praying together helped us to be more objective in dealing with difficulties. In the face of challenge, it was common for us to blame each other. Since we have been serious about prayer and especially praying together, we stopped looking at each other and learned to look at God, TOGETHER.
Our prayer time is not organized with a list of prayer requests. We take turn sharing what’s heavy on our heart and we bring it together to the Lord. We become aware of each other’s concern and carrying each other’s burden brought our unity to the next level.
The children see and sense this solidarity. The oneness of our leadership enforces our authority. Seeing their parents praying together is not just a good example for the kids. It gives them a peace of mind and stability. It gives them assurance and they perform better in various areas of life. We give them a platform of faith. Right now, we also pray together with our kids every day.
Health is another area that was affected by our prayer. One’s thought is toxic when it is full of negativity and bitterness. It is not possible to have such thought and have a healthy body. A phenomenal cleansing has taken place in our mind/heart when we learned to pray about hurt and unhealthy relationships we had with others. Forgiveness is a choice, but it is one of those choices we are not able to make on our own and without the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
Healthy lifestyle, better parenting, deeper relationship, greater wisdom and intimacy with God… There are so many benefits from praying together. The list can go on and on. During our family ministry school, Adrian says that he will give our money back if we pray together; every day, for one year and our life are not changed. We testify, IT WORKS!