In about 4 hours one of my best friends will be getting married! I am more than honored to be apart of Justin and Hillary's wedding and wanted to devote today's blog post to this momentous occasion!

Marriage between a man and a woman is a beautiful and mysterious thing. John Piper once said:

When God stands as witness to the covenant promises of a marriage it becomes more than a merely human agreement. God is not a passive bystander at a wedding ceremony. In effect he says. "I have seen this, I confirm it and I record it in heaven. And I bestow upon this covenant by My presence and My purpose the dignity of being an image of My own covenant with My wife, the church." (Sermon: Let None be Faithless to the Wife of his Youth, Nov. 22 1987)

One of the most powerful things that Piper says in this quote is that God is not a "passive bystander at a wedding ceremony". That is so true! When a man and a woman, in submission to God's word, are joined together in a covenantal relationship God is not only present, but actively so!

I know that this afternoon God will be actively present at Justin and Hillary's wedding. Moreover I know that he will be active in their marriage in the ensuing years.

Justin and Hillary, I am honored to be apart of this God-honoring day! I am praying for you all and am so excited to see the glory that is brought to God's name in your submission to his decrees over the institution of marriage.

May God bless you and keep you and bring you joy!

Michael