“Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth concerning anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in Heaven”
When God created man in Genesis 1:26, there was a need for agreement thus the Bible says God said, “let us make man…” The creative power of God manifested because there was agreement between the Father, son and Holy Spirit.
When God initiated marriage in Genesis 2 in the Garden of Eden, he gave Eve to Adam and the Bible declares that “the two shall become one” (Genesis 2:24). The act of becoming one (agreement in spirit and soul) is a process that takes time and intentionality. Marriage is thus a platform which God offers for us to practice permanent partnership and unity in the spirit in order to birth forth purpose and to showcase the glory of God on earth (Genesis 1:28).
In Mathew 19:19, the Lord promises open heavens if two can agree together on anything. It takes more than just saying mere words to agree in spirit. It takes being emptied of all that is self, allowing the Holy Spirit to take over and then it is He who binds two individuals filled with His presence to become one.
The enemy knows and understand the tremendous power that is harnessed through agreement and thus he is always busy setting confusion, disagreement, unforgiveness, bitterness in marriages so that couples will not be able to stand in unity and agreement and thus forfeit the benefits of agreement (open heavens, increase, purpose etc…….)
Ephesians 4:1-6
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Paul, urges us in the scripture above to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. It takes effort – it takes prayers to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Prayer points
1. Thank God for the ministry of marriage and for marriages. Thank God for the gift of partnership and companionship through marriage.
Genesis 2:18: The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
2. Pray for unity in homes. Pray that husbands and wives will empty themselves daily and allow the Holy Spirit to fill them up and cause them to be united in spirit.
Ephesians 5:31: As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”
3. Pray for the grace of forgiveness to continually saturate homes. That husbands and wife will be kind, compassionate to each other and be quick to forgive each other’s wrongdoing. That they will give the enemy no room to come in and sow seeds of disunity.
Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
4. Pray that couples will listen to each other with the intension of understanding each other - with self-less rather than selfish intensions. Pray for good communication in marriages.
James 1:19-20: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
In any relationship, it is easy to listen to the other person with the intension of defending ourselves or with selfish intentions and when this is the case, we can be quick to speak and easy to get offended. It is important to listen to others with the intension of hearing them, understanding them.
5. Pray that God will remove any bitterness in the hearts of couples towards each other and that God will heal every emotional wound so that anger and bitterness will not cloud their thinking and disrupt their ability to agree and stand as one.
Ephesians 4:31: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
6. Pray for deep love in marriages. The love that seeks to cover weaknesses and foster an environment for spiritual growth and unity.
1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Peter says to love each other deeply which means it is possible to love superficially or casually. It is deep love that covers and provides a safe environment for spiritual growth and unity. It is easy in relationship to expose the other person’s mistakes or blame each other. This creates an atmosphere of fear, shame and resentment. This is what Noah’s son Ham when he saw his father drunk in Genesis 9. Shem on the other hand had deep love for his father and covered him up in his mess.
7. Pray for unconditional and sacrificial love in marriages. Love that is not dependent on circumstances and situations. Love that is sacrificial and places the other person first.
1 Corinthian 13:4-7 “ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
8. Pray that God will be the center of every marriage. That couples will seek God and pursue the purpose for their marriage - the purpose for which God created them to be fruitful and multiply.
Matthew 6:33: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
Genesis 1:28: “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.”
9. Pray that God will give couples the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Pray that they will depend on the power of God through every season of marriage. When the wind and storm come, they will depend on the power of God. When the sun comes, they will depend on the power of God.
Ephesians 1:16-19: “ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.
10. Pray for the power of agreement in marriages. That there will be no division in marriage. Pray that there will be unity in mind and thoughts in marriages.
1 Corinthian 1:10 “ I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
11. Pray for the spirit of humility will saturate marriages. Pray against that spirit of pride that says, “I am good on my own.”
James 4:6 “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
12. Pray against the spirit of disunity that arises in marriages due to the lack of submission. Pray that every wife will receive the grace to be submissive to her husband as the church is submissive to Christ as the head.
Ephesians 5:21-24 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
13. Pray against the spirit of disunity in homes that arises from lack of love. Pray that husbands will love their wives as Christ loves the church - sacrificial and unconditional love.
Ephesians 5:25-30: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husband’s ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.
14. Pray for peace that surpasses all understanding to reign in marriages and in every home.
Philippians 4:7 "Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
Thank God for hearing our cry. Thank God for his goodness and mercy. Thank God for his plans and purpose for marriage. Declare that God will showcase His glory through every marriage