Standing on Holy Ground

Young couples today often ask, “Why should we marry? Our parents’ marriages are not happy. Our friends are divorcing after just a few years. Can ours last? And if it does, will it be happy?”

In the wedding ceremony we promise to love one another till death parts us. We have no idea what we will face as a couple and as individuals during the rest of our life. We have no idea how we will each change. But we determine to face all of it together.

God wants us to make that decision, to love each other for our lifetime. Making those vows publicly, He knows, will help us keep them when life gets hard. We promise to love, that is an act of our wills, not just feelings of love. There will be days we don’t like each other, but that doesn’t change our commitment to love.

God offers us another help, if we love and honor Him. He will be intimately involved in each of our lives and in our relationship. If we will listen to Him, He will help us keep our marriage strong. He prompts us to be kind and thoughtful to our mate. He shows us other, better, ways to think about those things we come to know and dislike about our spouse. He urges, even commands us to forgive, and then helps us to forgive.

Diane Zeigler wrote a beautiful song about this. She is remembering their wedding day, the birth of their baby, and later, after things had happened that could have torn them apart, but didn’t. It was standing on Holy Ground (accepting God’s involvement in their lives) that helped them keep their vows.

Holy Ground, by Diane Zeigler
There you were,
Standing up in front of all your friends
Wearing a flower in your pocket
And there I was
Taking my place beside you, all in white
Wearing my grandmother’s locket.
We said . . .

Here we stand on a holy ground
And the strongest wind will never blow us down
There are no human hands
That ever could break this vow
For we stand on a holy ground

There you were
Watching me all the while in disbelief
The moment had finally come
And there I was
Suffering the longest night with no relief
Is it a daughter or a son?
And we said . . .

Here we stand on a holy ground
And the strongest wind will never blow us down
There are no human hands
That ever could break this vow
For we stand on a holy ground

But look at me and see me now
With my weary eyes
A promise is the sweetest sound
But those words leave our lips
Before we know how far they’ll fly

Here you are
I see you standing right in front of me
I know how far you could run
And still you walk with me
Into the open fields of family
And we can see how far we have come

Here we stand on a holy ground
And the strongest wind will never blow us down
There are no human hands
That ever could break this vow
For we stand on a holy ground.

It is worth it to marry God’s way. Young people today can have good and enduring marriages if they plant their marriage on holy ground.

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 136