Should a Wife Pray Audibly in the Presence of Her Husband?

Should a Wife Pray Audibly in the Presence of Her Husband?

Dear Sir:
Is it proper for a wife to pray with her husband inside their home?
--Jonah

Dear Jonah:
While women are forbidden from publicly praying before men in the assembly (I Cor.14:33-34; I Tim 2:8-12), I do not take this to mean they are forbidden to pray with their husband in the privacy of their home.

If her Christian husband invites her to pray, she is not usurping his authority as head of the family.

If her husband is not a Christian that would mean she could not pray openly when he was in the home. Thus there would no verbal prayer for their food. Nor would her children get to hear her prayers on their behalf as long as the husband was present.

We should not take a passage that speaks of one situation, the assembly, and apply it to another which is altogether different.

I would say that most of our brethren assume that it is allowable for a husband and wife to pray together, read their Bibles together and discuss God's will for their lives together in the privacy of their homes. Their so doing would bless and strengthen their family in Christ.

Sincerely,

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