3 Unexpected Blessings of Marrying a Preacher | To Women

When I first got engaged, I had a woman come to me and ask me, “What prayer did you pray to get your husband?”

I was initially annoyed by the question but after considering the source, it honestly made me think about the many conversations I’d had through the years with women regarding marriage.

Depending on your life goals, marrying a preacher can be seen in many ways. For some women, marrying a preacher offers a higher rank in social status within church culture and for other women, marrying a preacher comes with the burden of sharing your spouse and life with the church and the often-daunting responsibility to be the example for others.

As you may have already read in my post on the GAME CHANGING ADVICE MY MOTHER GAVE ME ON BEING A PREACHER’S WIFE, I was neither seeking nor opposing marrying a man who’d been called into the ministry. I lived as the daughter of a bishop all my life and I’d already experienced many of the ups and downs church leadership faced. Instinctively, my answer to the question of what prayer did I pray to get my husband stood firm in five simple words… Lord, thy will be done.

Being the daughter of a preacher and the WIFE of a preacher, although sharing some similarities, are two very different positions.

Ministry hits different when it involves the love of your life.

Throughout my first (almost) 4 months of being a preacher’s wife, I have experienced so many unexpected blessings. I am aware that often time we hear the horror stories of the secret lives of preacher’s wives, but in this post, I wanted to shed light on a different perspective of this life.

Here are 3 unexpected blessings to being a preacher’s wife.

1. A deeper prayer life. I remember one morning as I was getting out of bed preparing to go pray, the Lord impressed upon my heart that I am the first line of defense for my husband. That word has left an undeniable impression on me and comes to me often, particularly when I am anxious, stressed or frustrated. The amount that I pray and the quality of the prayers that I now pray have changed DRAMATICALLY in these few short months as I am now required (as help meet) to pray for the man servant. Regardless of what anyone says, PRAYER STILL WORKS, and it is one of the simplest, yet powerful tools God has given us to live a life of holiness and marital bliss.
2. I am challenged to study to TRULY show myself approved. Simple conversations about household things or work challenges between my husband and me often turn into an intense bible lesson. I have always loved studying the Word of God and learning more about scripture and having a preacher husband can sometimes feel like living with a personal tutor. We live by the quote, “We are not always right, we are always learning” and we are committed to working together to learn more about our great Savior and His plan. This is probably one of my favorite parts about being married. Living together in the beauty of holiness and sharpening my countenance with my best friend (Proverbs 27:17).
3. I am privileged to a deeper understanding for church policy, procedure and protocols. As the daughter of a preacher I was trained in the ways and word of God. As the wife of a preacher I am now in a leadership position (this is true whether your husband is the pastor or not) to implement God’s Word in the hearts and minds of all that follow me.

1 Peter 3:1 says, Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

KJV Bible

This passage of scripture speaks to the influence that a preacher’s wife can have on unbelievers as she is submitted to her husband and is the living example to the Word he preaches.

Organized church can be a very tricky space to navigate, but as the wife of the man of God we are allotted the opportunity to help in building the kingdom of God and possess the power to positively influence God’s man servant to break the stereotype of crooked preachers. I personally view that as an honor and privilege.

Although I was not seeking to marry a preacher, every day I see that God was intentional by giving me a Bishop for a father AND a mother that fully understands her power as his wife. Those years as the daughter of a preacher and my upbringing certainly equipped me for the job.

Are you the wife of a preacher? What are some unexpected blessings you’ve received as a preacher’s wife?