“Lord, all I ask is that Your presence be there.” For days and even weeks leading up to my daughter’s wedding, that was my prayer. “No matter what happens, as long as You show up, everything else will be alright.”
I woke up early on Saturday to 24 degree weather. But not even the frigid temperature could keep me bedded down. It was my daughter’s wedding day. I got up and let the dogs out before heading across the street at 7:00 to have waffles with the bridesmaids. I went in to tell my husband goodbye, but at the same time had to tell him Gabe (our beagle/lab) had run off. Let’s just say he wasn’t happy – but I had a date to keep and was out the door. I told myself, “It’ll be alright.”
When I got to the church about 8:00 to begin preparing for the reception, I found that the sprinklers had come on during the night time hours and the walkway was completely frozen over. So as I carefully skated my way to the door with boxes of food, I thought, “It’ll be alright.”
The photographer arrived as did the beautiful bride and her bridesmaids at 10:30. But after two phone calls to the florist who was suppose to be there at 11:00 and had not yet shown up, I knew the photo scheduling was about to go out the door. I told myself, “It’ll be alright.” When the florist did arrive 30 minutes late, had my order wrong, and left half of the things at the shop 15 miles away and had to return to get them, I began to get a little irritated. I put my good friend Marcilla in charge of him lest I say something I shouldn’t, and calmed myself by telling her, “It’ll be alright.”
When I called Sandy at Publix to see what was taking so long with the bridal party’s food trays, he said they had not even begun making them. Knowing that we would now be an hour behind – as neither of us had dressed yet for the wedding – and that we would miss the photo shoot with our daughter, I remembered my prayer, and said, “It’ll be alright.”
Upon arriving back at the church at 1:00, I found the darling little photographer in a panic because she couldn’t empty her camera of the pictures she had taken – and now there was no more space on her chip. I put my hand on her arm and told her not to stress, that it would be alright. I immediately called my dad and said, “Please bring your camera!”
In the meantime, my sister-in-law had received a phone call that her brother had had a massive heart attack, and she and my brother were on the way to Atlanta. (It was not nearly as severe as they had been told.) And my precious daughter-in-law lay on the floor in a dark Sunday school room suffering from a major migraine. I grabbed a friend from the already filling sanctuary and asked her to please come pray for Kristin. Vicki got on her hands and knees and prayed and sang over her. I knew it would be alright.
At 1:40, I entered the sanctuary and took my place on a comfortable seat – the piano bench, where I was able to worship and share in my daughter’s wedding in a special way. At 2:00, my husband escorted me down the aisle to “My Jesus, I Love Thee;” my oldest son accompanied his beautiful wife as he played and she sweetly sang, “Take My Life and Let it Be;” and then my daughter walked down the aisle with her daddy to “Wash Me With the Water of Your Word.” He gave her away with a kiss and an embrace with them both and took his place beside me. The vows were new but very Biblical in nature, and the service ended with my middle child praying a blessing over them that will resound through the generations. And the bride and groom displayed a confidence of assurance I’d never witnessed in a couple that this was right.
Yes, God had answered my prayer: “All I ask is that Your presence be there.” I know that as the mother of the bride it’s my prerogative to feel such, but I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced a sweeter, simpler, and more worshipful wedding ceremony in my life. God was there. And everything was alright.
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
I woke up early on Saturday to 24 degree weather. But not even the frigid temperature could keep me bedded down. It was my daughter’s wedding day. I got up and let the dogs out before heading across the street at 7:00 to have waffles with the bridesmaids. I went in to tell my husband goodbye, but at the same time had to tell him Gabe (our beagle/lab) had run off. Let’s just say he wasn’t happy – but I had a date to keep and was out the door. I told myself, “It’ll be alright.”
When I got to the church about 8:00 to begin preparing for the reception, I found that the sprinklers had come on during the night time hours and the walkway was completely frozen over. So as I carefully skated my way to the door with boxes of food, I thought, “It’ll be alright.”
The photographer arrived as did the beautiful bride and her bridesmaids at 10:30. But after two phone calls to the florist who was suppose to be there at 11:00 and had not yet shown up, I knew the photo scheduling was about to go out the door. I told myself, “It’ll be alright.” When the florist did arrive 30 minutes late, had my order wrong, and left half of the things at the shop 15 miles away and had to return to get them, I began to get a little irritated. I put my good friend Marcilla in charge of him lest I say something I shouldn’t, and calmed myself by telling her, “It’ll be alright.”
When I called Sandy at Publix to see what was taking so long with the bridal party’s food trays, he said they had not even begun making them. Knowing that we would now be an hour behind – as neither of us had dressed yet for the wedding – and that we would miss the photo shoot with our daughter, I remembered my prayer, and said, “It’ll be alright.”
Upon arriving back at the church at 1:00, I found the darling little photographer in a panic because she couldn’t empty her camera of the pictures she had taken – and now there was no more space on her chip. I put my hand on her arm and told her not to stress, that it would be alright. I immediately called my dad and said, “Please bring your camera!”
In the meantime, my sister-in-law had received a phone call that her brother had had a massive heart attack, and she and my brother were on the way to Atlanta. (It was not nearly as severe as they had been told.) And my precious daughter-in-law lay on the floor in a dark Sunday school room suffering from a major migraine. I grabbed a friend from the already filling sanctuary and asked her to please come pray for Kristin. Vicki got on her hands and knees and prayed and sang over her. I knew it would be alright.
At 1:40, I entered the sanctuary and took my place on a comfortable seat – the piano bench, where I was able to worship and share in my daughter’s wedding in a special way. At 2:00, my husband escorted me down the aisle to “My Jesus, I Love Thee;” my oldest son accompanied his beautiful wife as he played and she sweetly sang, “Take My Life and Let it Be;” and then my daughter walked down the aisle with her daddy to “Wash Me With the Water of Your Word.” He gave her away with a kiss and an embrace with them both and took his place beside me. The vows were new but very Biblical in nature, and the service ended with my middle child praying a blessing over them that will resound through the generations. And the bride and groom displayed a confidence of assurance I’d never witnessed in a couple that this was right.
Yes, God had answered my prayer: “All I ask is that Your presence be there.” I know that as the mother of the bride it’s my prerogative to feel such, but I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced a sweeter, simpler, and more worshipful wedding ceremony in my life. God was there. And everything was alright.
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
The bride making herself ready.
A tender moment with the older brother.
The sister-in-loves.
More to come...
3 comments:
I thought Charles & Adrienne and Kristin & My weddings were very Spirit-filled too.
It is amazing what happens when we let God be in control!!
Sounds like "it was alright!" and that it was a great day!
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