For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior.

Ephesians 5:23

There is… no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

Heavenly Father, 

In Your wisdom You created males and females with different roles in creation. For the sake of order in the family, you have set the husband as the head of the household. This does not demean women, who have their own unique role in creation, that of bearing children. Men are not to lord their position over their wives or abuse their authority. They are not to be harsh with their wives (Colossians 3:19), but are to treat their wives with respect and honor, knowing both men and women are heirs of eternal life (1 Peter 3:7). We know from Your Word that our gender does not determine our status before You. In Your kingdom, people of all social backgrounds, ethnic identities, and of both genders are in need of Your grace, which You give freely to all. While You walked the earth, You showed great honor to women by healing them and speaking to them in a culture that saw women as second-class citizens and forbade men to speak to females in public. You showed that You love men and women equally. Yet on this earth we still struggle with relationships between the sexes. Women chafe at their husband’s authority. You foretold this struggle back in the Garden of Eden when You told Eve that her desire would be for her husband, but he would rule over her (Genesis 3:16). Each partner wants to rule over the other rather than submitting. Please forgive our selfish desire for power within marriages. Forgive us for pitting men against women in society, as if it were a competition to see which gender is “better.” Forgive wives who do not submit to their husband’s loving authority. Forgive husbands who abuse their position and refuse to follow Your example of authority as the head of the Church. Heal relationships that are broken, strengthen marriages that are faltering, uphold marriages that are healthy, and bless all men and women everywhere to see one another as co-heirs of eternal life.

Today I ask You to bless the following marriages…

Please help me deal with the following issues in my own marriage…

In Your name I pray. Amen.

 (For a full explanation of this challenge, see the post 12-Minute Prayer Challenge. If you are just joining us, feel free to continue on with us from the current day, or if you prefer, you can go back and start at Day 1.)