The VowSample

The Vow of Preparation

For the next six days, you’ll hear from six couples who’ve made the vows of marriage—but not just the standard wedding vows. These vows of preparation, priority, pursuit, partnership, purity, and prayer are the vows that make marriages work long past the wedding. 

Tyler and Beth weren’t prepared to meet each other via text message, but they were prepared for marriage. When they finally met face to face, the rest was history! 

Beth:

When two hearts combine, it’s a beautiful thing—but it’s not all pretty. A healthy relationship requires honesty, even about your baggage. My baggage looked like emotional scars from a previous marriage. My trust was wrecked and my fears were inflated like airbags. Still, In Isaiah 43:19, God told His people not to dwell on the past but to recognize that He’s doing something new. I sensed God had something new in store for me, too. So, I decided to get intentional about preparing. 

I prayed. I consistently read God’s Word. I listened to wise friends. I saw a counselor. I studied books about healing. And I waited patiently on God’s timing.

Through it all, God used my negative experiences and my healing to reshape me. Then, when my heart met Tyler’s, we just fit. I love how He does that. Now, when the old fears try to creep back in, I have the trust to talk about them and the strength to fight them. 

Tyler:

I’ve been praying for my future wife since I was a teenager. Over the years, I felt like God gave me specific words to focus on: “intentionality,” “patience,” and “consistency.”

When I met Beth, I quickly knew she was the one I’d been praying for. She was always honest about how she was feeling and what she struggled with which helped me be honest with her about my own pains from the past. We’d constantly remind each other of the truth found in Psalm 147:3 that God heals the broken. As we dated, we lived out the three words God gave me. We loved each other with intentionality, patience, and consistency.

It’s incredible to recount how God prepared us not just for marriage, but for each other. And yeah, I got the girl I prayed for, but I keep praying because preparation doesn’t end at the altar. I pray God will continue to prepare us and remake us for each new thing He does. 

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