1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
____________________
Men, when Paul speaks of a wife being “weaker” he is not referring to the fact that you can (probably) beat her at arm wrestling nor saying that she is somehow flawed. “Weaker” speaks of more finely tuned, more intricate in her workings and, therefore, in need of extra attention.
When finished using your hammer you can toss it in the tool box but you wouldn’t do that with a guitar. It gets carefully placed into a padded case. The guitar is not faulty or second rate but it gets treated with “respect as the weaker” item. The hammer is built to take the abuse but your wife, like a finely tuned instrument, is not. She is easily “knocked out of tune” and, therefore, needs extra care.
Why would treating her disrespectfully disrupt your communication with God – “hinder your prayers”? Perhaps we are given a hint when it says she is also an “heir” of the gift of life. She may be your wife but she is also God’s daughter. Speaking as a dad with a daughter, I can assure you that if you want to have good communication with a father, you better not mistreat his daughter.
Treat my daughter with respect, show me you care for her like I do and we can have a great relationship. Treat her like a hammer and we will likely have a “come to Jesus meeting” – perhaps in a dark alley. Apparently God, too, isn’t interested in hearing from someone, even a son, who is being inconsiderate and disrespectful of his daughter.
_________________________
Ephesians 5:25
And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her.
Proverbs 31:10, 11
Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.