pray for him. pray for her.

i used to think it was incredibly cheesy when my youth pastor told us to pray for our future spouses. i preferred to pray that God would miraculously give me celine dion’s voice overnight. at this unfortunate time, i had no clue as to the imperative need for my husband to be covered in prayer. now that i have met, married & thought back on my immature view of praying for him, i am dedicated to praying with my daughter [if we have one!] for her future husband. equally, tim is dedicated to praying with our son [if we have one!] for his future wife.

thought #1:

the power of prayer is definitely underestimated. we tend to think “it will all play out” or “if it is destined to happen”. all of these are lies that our culture has spoken into the truths of the Bible. what we read in the Word is to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

guard your hearts. and your minds.

as i think about this in the context of praying for your future spouse, i am overwhelmed that even in this “silly” request that Christ will guard, protect, shield our hearts from all things – including the wrong friends, the wrong relationships & the wrong spouse.

thought #2

i am not a photographer that pleads with her clients to do a first look. to be honest, it really disappoints me when photographers do this. i guess i am just traditional and love experiencing that moment when the bride turns a corner and sees her groom choking back tears. all the guests standing at their feet. the music inviting her to stroll towards the man who is to guard her heart and her mind from this day forward. i’m just a sucker for this moment and i truly dont believe you have the same reaction when you do a first look. but this is my personal opinion.

thought #3

this weekend, i was blessed to photograph the wedding of two people who had been praying for one another for a long time.
they requested to not do a first look but they wanted to pray with one another before the ceremony. as professional as i try to be, i couldn’t hold back the tears. with their closest bridal party surrounding them, they prayed out loud, praising God for bringing their spouse to them. captured in the photo below was the moment mrs. murti broke down while thanking Christ from bringing her a man who would guard her heart and lead them in a life that was Glorifying to God alone.

as i write this, i am choking back tears. i couldn’t help but think about the man that God brought into my life as well. and how even as a silly teenager, i spoke a prayer that my youth pastor asked of me. and despite my ignorance, Christ in His Goodness and Faithfulness, fulfilled that prayer in my own life.

as i watched vicki & ben pray a prayer of thankfulness, the moment was so raw. the prayers of a little girl and a little boy were now being fulfilled in a man and a woman.

and God was being Glorified.