A Happy Marriage - Peter

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

1 Peter 3:7

Several years ago, ABC newsmagazine 20/20 host John Stossel aired a program citing several studies that made a shocking claim: Men and women are different!

Imagine that! Men and women, who have been living together in marriage for several millennia, are different from one another. They aren’t better or worse, just different in how they think, talk, relate to others, and process their emotions.

The apostle Peter never met John Stossel or watched 20/20, but he probably understood the differences between the genders. Peter was a married man (see Matthew 8:14) who understood how God expected him to treat his wife.

Peter instructed his married male readers to honor their wives and treat them with understanding as equal partners in the Christian faith.

What did Peter mean by that?

Simply that you should remain humble in your marriage and avoid exalting yourself over your wife in any way. Your wife may be physically weaker than you are, but you must respect her as your equal in God’s eyes.

Peter warned that husbands should treat their wives appropriately so that their “prayers will not be hindered.” Peter knew that only sin hinders our prayers, so Peter obviously wanted his readers to understand how seriously God takes the way they treat their wives.

If God takes how you treat your wife seriously, so should you!

Do you want a happy, peaceful home life? Follow Peter’s instructions and treat your wife with understanding, compassion, and respect. When you do so, you’re sure to please the God who gave her to you.