A couple of weeks ago as I was sitting by and pondering on certain aspects of my life, this particular line, “I come to you with my need”, from my vow I had made to Edi kept coming to me. I tried to remember the other aspects of my vow and I couldn’t remember it. I was a little pained because I made a vow to my husband and I couldn’t even remember it! If that is the case, then how can I do what I have vowed when I don’t even know what I have vowed? In His word, God, is very serious about keeping the vows that we have made.
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
“ When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.”
The vow we make on our wedding day is made before God and God’s people. God is very serious about his word and hence and he takes the vow that we have made very seriously! The vow is one of the most important aspect of the wedding day. People tear up as they hear the couple lovingly exchange their vows. The couple also spends so much time in choosing the perfect vow for them. Some even write their own. The sad part is after having done so much, the vow is like this old dusted book that remains in the corner of a bookshelf, often forgotten!
I decided to write on it because like me there might be so many women out there.
This is my vow that I made to my husband:
“Edison, this day before God and these witnesses, I commit myself to you in marriage, knowing that God meant us for each other I come to you with my need for your strength, your understanding and your tender care. I will take every effort with Christ’s help to be a sensitive, gentle and godly wife and with His strength and guidance I’ll stand with you through everything. I will love, honor, respect and submit to your loving headship as unto the Lord”.
I come to you with my need for your strength, your understanding and tender care
Whenever I am in need of strength or understanding or tender care, I need to go to my husband. The world says, men don’t understand. They can’t be compassionate. This is wrong. Jesus himself was compassionate. He gave an ear to who needed it. I understand that not all men are like this, but when we presume we are not even giving them a chance. Also this is a covenant vow, there are no conditions like- I will come to with my need of strength, understanding and tender care only if you will do this… There is no if clause which means I have to go to him no matter what the situation be.
I will take every effort with Christ’s help to be a sensitive, gentle and godly wife
I need to work and make an effort to be sensitive, gentle and godly. I need to be a wife, remembering that my body is not my own and that it belongs to my husband. As often as my husband requires me I need to be there for him. 1 Corinthians 7:4 “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.” A wife needs to be submissive and I need to be submissive. Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
With His strength and guidance I’ll stand with you through everything
This is a very strong statement to make. This means that through thick and thin, through sickness and health, when rich or poor, I will stand by my husband even when he makes major financial blunder (if he does, not that he has) or when all things go bad because I am standing by him with the strength of Christ and I have made a vow. And God takes the vow very seriously.
I will love, honor, respect and submit to your loving headship as unto the Lord
Again all these statements that I have made are not conditional. I will love, respect and submit as unto the Lord. Yes no conditions or strings attached!
What I have tried to do here is to show you an example of a vow and what it means. Each of us, like me (if you are a Christian), have made a vow to our husbands. Since God takes this seriously, let us make an effort to know our vows and follow it to the best.
To help me remind myself of my vow, I have decided to print it out and probably put it up in a place where I would spend most of my time. I thank God for reminding me and teaching me to keep my vow.
