‘But Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game, she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I overheard your father say to Esau, ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the Lord ’s presence before I die.’ Now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you. Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine young goats. I’ll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish. Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.” “But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth. What if my father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse me instead of blessing me.” But his mother replied, “Then let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats for me!”’ Genesis 27:5-13(NLT)
‘So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.’ Ephesians 4:25-27(NLT)
Can you imagine how the biblical record might be different if Isaac and Rebekah had learned to deal with their conflicts through prayer, rather than through deceit and manipulation?
More to the point, would you like to do a better job of resolving conflict in your marriage? If so, then we encourage you to discover the power of praying together. Even though praying in the middle of a conflict is just as important as praying during calm seas, most of us don’t feel like praying with an opponent. But inviting the Prince of Peace into your boat in the middle of the storm is truly the answer.
For some of the best advice on how to resolve conflict in marriage, you have only to turn to Ephesians 4:25–27, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”
Note especially the phrase, “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” If that single principle were observed, most marital conflicts would be resolved much sooner! The next time you have a conflict, instead of turning away to be angry, find a way to turn toward one another and God and pray together as a couple.
We have done this since 1972, and we can honestly say that this spiritual discipline of prayer has helped us resolve many conflicts.
from Marriage and Family Life Reading Plan