Presented to Logan Humphries and Deanna Owings on the occasion of their wedding, 04 October 2025 and to Blaine and April Erikson on the occasion of their wedding, 24 January 2011, and at the public celebration of their wedding, 03 Sept. 2011 by Major (Captain then) Michael Ramsay
This is the 2025 version, to view the 2011 version, click
here:
https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/01/marriage-three-legged-race.html
The
Marriage covenant, which you two are entering into today with God, is like a
three-legged race. Some people seem to run it with ease while others fall down
and trip all over each other. It is a lot of fun. The secret to the
three-legged race is that the winning couple is the pair who moves in sync with
each other so that with every stride each matches their partner. Two
independently minded people determined to do their own thing have no chance!
It is
like that with the marriage covenant that you are entering into today. Did you
know that the most commonly translated word for covenant in the Hebrew Bible
refers to being bound, tied or even shackled together? It is like the
three-legged race.
In a
marriage, we are tied together with each other and the Lord through our
marriage covenant. A marriage covenant is more than a promise; it is more than
a legal contract. It is a sacred covenant through which the Lord binds you
together now as husband and wife and even more than that as He binds you together
until death do you part. He also binds himself to you and to your immediate
family as it grows in Him. Covenants are important.
The
key to upholding a sacred covenant is staying close to God, keeping faith with
Him. This is significant and this relates very closely to the three-legged race
of your marriage covenant.
Any of
us who have ever been in such a race with our children our parents, or others
will remember the challenges involved. When one partner tries to move at a
different pace than the other partner, neither goes anywhere very quickly. It’s
difficult to move, let alone win the race, when the one you’re tied together
with is going in the opposite direction.
It’s
the same with our marriage covenants. If we tie ourselves and our spouse in a
sacred vow and we do not walk step-in-step with our partner, following God
closely; it’s impossible to even finish, let alone win the race and experience
the full blessing of our marriage and that final victory with Christ. Once
we’ve committed to the marriage race, we need to press on towards the goal and
not give up. The race will be challenging but as we persevere, we will enjoy
the race and experience the victory but if we try to go our own way, our
marriage covenant will be of little or no use to us, our spouse, or to our
Heavenly Father.
As you
remain faithful to your covenant and as you allow our Heavenly Father to
partner with you and to put His arm around you as you run through this life,
you will find it much easier to walk in step. At times, often when things are
most challenging, you will notice that God is actually carrying both of you
towards the finish line. The Lord is faithful to his covenants and I pray and I
challenge you both today to be faithful to each other, to be faithful to the
Lord and to be faithful to your marriage covenant until death do you part. As
you do this, I promise that indeed you will find that you experience all the
joys of the marriage covenant and I pray that also you will experience that
ultimate victory with Christ for now and evermore. Amen.
---
Based on a chapter from
Ramsay, Captain Michael. 'Praise The Lord For Covenants:
Old Testament wisdom for our world today'. Vancouver, BC: Credo Press, 2010.
(c) The Salvation Army. For more info: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Praise-The-Lord-For-Covenants/155941614427110?v=info
Posts
