U.S. Marine Cpl. Caleb Earwood wanted a moment with his bride-to-be Maggie before their wedding ceremony on Saturday, May 23, 2015. However, they also wanted to stay true to the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding on wedding day.
Just before the wedding ceremony began in Asheville, N.C., Caleb was guided to a cabin where Maggie was waiting. Without facing her and breaking the well-known tradition, he backed up to the open doorway where she stood. He reached his hand back and she grabbed it. As they held hands and bowed their heads in opposite directions, Caleb led them both in prayer to God to seek His blessings on their marriage. Caleb prayed for the couple’s marriage, asking that their union be strong enough to serve as an example for young couples. Maggie was trying to hold back her tears. “It broke me down,” Maggie said, “to know that we felt the same way about God. It just made me happy.”
“We were about to take our first steps in life together, and we didn’t want to take a step without it being in God’s will,” Caleb Earwood, 21, told TODAY.com.
The photo of the couple holding hands in prayer has gone viral. The photographer, Dwayne Schmidt, posted the photo on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/dwayne.schmidtphotography) with this comment: “I have photographed a lot of weddings. This has to be one of the best things I have ever got to see, much less photograph. Before the ceremony and before they saw each other, Caleb said a prayer for their marriage and lives. AWESOME!!!” The photo was posted on May 23 and, at the time of this writing, has more than 8,670 shares and over 54,800 likes. *
To ask for God’s blessings and to build one’s marriage upon God and His Word is the most important factor in a strong and lasting marriage. Actually, it is the most important thing for ANYONE – married or single, young or old – to build their lives on the Rock of Jesus Christ. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).
Our sin condemns us (Romans 6:23), but God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). He gave His Son to die for us so that we can be saved and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16).
As Caleb prayed, don’t take a step without it being in God’s will. Jesus said, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).
It is the will of God that each of us “look to the Son” and place our faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). Those who choose to follow His will and accept His offer of salvation on His terms will receive God’s forgiveness and the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). Those who continue to follow His will with the attitude of “semper fidelis” (always faithful), will be continually cleansed by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7).
Won’t YOU follow God’s will?
— David A. Sargent