When You Step Away to Pray

The Prayer Pillar in Marriage

You may have noticed… I didn’t post last week.

That wasn’t by accident.

It was intentional.

Sometimes the most important thing we can do for our marriage, our ministry, and our own hearts is to step back—not to produce, not to push forward—but simply to pray.

And that’s what I did.

This past week became a quiet reset. A time to slow down. To listen more than speak. To sit with the Lord instead of striving to write something meaningful. Because the truth is, if I’m not being filled, I have nothing to pour out. And in the middle of that stillness, I was reminded of something simple: Prayer isn’t just a pillar we teach. It’s a pillar we must live.

Before we came home from our week in Florida, Bill and I had a moment together on the beach that now feels even more significant. We stood there, listening to the waves, and we prayed. Not rushed. Not routine. Not surface-level. We prayed about our family. Our future. Our ministry. The things stirring in our hearts that feel bigger than us. And if I’m being honest—some of the things we are praying for might sound a little crazy.

We’ve been reading Crazy Faith together, and it has been stretching the way we pray. Because sometimes the prayers God places on your heart don’t feel “reasonable.” They feel bold. They feel risky. They feel beyond what you can accomplish on your own. But here’s what I’m learning: It’s only crazy until it happens.

In Pamper Your Marriage, Prayer is the first pillar for a reason. Because everything else flows from it. When couples pray together:

• They invite God into the center

• They align their hearts

• They build unity beyond circumstance

• They strengthen their faith together

Prayer reminds us that we are not carrying this marriage alone.

The Lord pampers His Church through intercession. Jesus Himself prays for us. He covers us. He strengthens us. He stands in the gap on our behalf. When we pray for our spouse, we reflect that same love. We are not trying to fix them. We are placing them into the hands of the One who can.

Take a moment to ask:

• When was the last time we prayed together without rushing?

• What are we believing God for right now?

• Are we holding back “big” prayers because they feel unrealistic?

Maybe it’s time to pray something that stretches your faith.

Sometimes stepping back is not falling behind. Sometimes it’s exactly what your heart—and your marriage—needs. Prayer is not just preparation for what’s next. It is the work. And the prayers that feel the most impossible…

may be the very ones God is inviting you to believe for.

Your marriage doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be pampered.

📖 Pamper Your Marriage is available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon, and our website🌐

Learn more at www.PamperYourMarriage.org