Thursday, August 1, 2002

Renewal for Your Marriage

by Blake Cromwell

Recently I was reading through a few of the marriage ceremonies I have done over the last ten years and decided to send the ceremonies to the individual couples and encourage them to re-say the vows they made on their wedding day. I am going to send the ceremony to the husband with a cover letter encouraging him to surprise his wife with a night out and then end the evening with a restatement of his vows to her.

Most marriage days are so filled with stress that couples barely remember the words spoken on their wedding. Yet those words are sometimes the most profound of their marriage. Over the years my wife, Rena, and I have renewed our wedding vows in the privacy of our home. I believe these times of renewal have bought a special grace from God upon our marriage.

It is my belief that Father God delights in doing miracles when a couple renews their wedding vows. Jesus preformed His first miracle at the wedding of Cana. There Christ transformed water into wine. He took what was natural and common and made something wonderful out of it. In like manner, God can take our ordinary lives and transform them into something wonderful.

Of course, as with every miracle we must do our part. Jesus told them to bring him six stone waterpots and out of that action Christ preformed the miracle. In the same manner, we need to bring our marriages to Christ and ask Him to bring His miraculous power to it.

Let me encourage you to renew your marital vows to your spouse, believing that Christ will add His blessing to your marriage. Go ahead and take the following martial vows I have used in scores of wedding and set a date with your spouse.

Then turn to her and make this profession of faith:

I, (your name), take thee, (her name), to be my wedded wife; to care for you, to watch over you, to bring out your best, to allow you to reach your God given purposes in life. I won’t leave you alone to do the difficult task of life, I will be there for you. I cherish you and vow to always do so. No matter the adversities of life I will love you in every circumstance of life, in sickness and in health, in abundance and in lack. I’ll do my best, I will give 100 percent so that you and our family will have an active and engaged husband and father, I will love and cherish you till death parts us, according to God’s Word I make these commitments.

Ladies, then it’s your turn:

I, (your name) do take thee, (his name) to be my wedded husband; to care for you, to watch over you, to bring out your best, to allow you to reach your God given purposes in life. I won’t leave you alone to do the difficult task of life, I will be there for you. I cherish you and vow to always do so. No matter the adversities of life I will love you, in every circumstance, in sickness and in health, in abundance and in lack. I promise to walk with you every step of the way in life and if it gets to a point where you can no longer walk I will pick you up and carry you, I will love and cherish you till death parts us, according to God’s Word I make these commitments.

Of course if you really want to make points with your wife, give her a gift that represents your renewed vows. A watch, ring, maybe flowers but please no irons or washing machines.

Know this, that the pastors in the Kings County want to help you not just on your wedding day, but everyday to help you find that supernatural wine Jesus desires to place in every marriage.