Nathaniel Darnell & Abigail Cochran

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." - Genesis 2:24

Once upon a time, a little boy couldn't sleep at night. His mother told him to spend the time awake lying in bed to pray for his future wife. "She may be somewhere in the world thinking about you right now, wondering who you are, or what you'll be like, or she may not even be born yet. She may be a little baby."

The thought of the boy's future wife being so much younger than him sounded strange. Even more the idea that she might not even be alive yet. But from that night forward the little boy made it a regular habit to pray for his future wife at night before going to sleep. And sure enough, little did he know that his future bride had not yet come into the world!

Many year later, that little boy grew up into a man named Nathaniel, and after years and years of waiting and seeking the face of the Lord over who he should marry, he finally providentially crossed paths with a young lady named Abigail Hope Cochran.

Abigail was beautiful, responsible, industrious, full of conviction and a sense of mission, and articulate. She was devoted to the Lord and His Word. She was also a gifted musician. They both understood the importance of living out their relationship with the Trinitarian God as revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of life, including art, family life, business, and politics. Abby was especially involved in working to save the lives of the preborn.

Both of them had been born into Christian homes by parents who were so devoted to discipling them in a Christian worldview and education that they home-schooled them. Both of them were older siblings who helped to raise their younger ones. Both of them loved to read and think and talk about ideas and how to answer many of the destructive ideas prevalent in our culture today. Both enjoyed the outdoors. Abby was more of a hiker, who loved to scale mountain heights and enjoy distant views. Nathaniel was more of a fan of interactive sports like baseball and volleyball. But they both enjoyed their similarities and their differences.

Their courtship started in October of 2019. By early 2020, Nathaniel knew that Abby was the woman he wanted to marry. He asked for her father Keith's blessing to marry Abigail, which was granted after some interviewing. He began making grand plans as to how he would propose to her. A play, a three-course dinner, and many other extravagant lead-ups to the proposal were planned. But just as he began to set his plans in motion, the country began to fall under the shadow of the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic.

All of the jewlry stores he was considering buying the engagement ring from were suddenly shut down. The concert halls and restaurants likewise began to shutdown under civil government warnings and emergency announcements. Still, not to be undone, Nathaniel was bound and determined to propose to Abigail. He didn't want to leave her in the lurch for months while neither of them knew how long the COVID-19 crisis would last. But as things began to change everyday, Nathaniel became increasingly bewildered as to how he would accomplish his objective.

Finally, on March 28, 2020, Nathaniel went up to north Georgia to visit Abby and her family. They spontaneously invited Nathaniel to join them on a hike to a nearby mountain. As they climbed the hills and began to look out over the beautiful sunset, Nathaniel noticed that Abby's brother Luke was carrying some new photo and video camera gear he was testing. In that moment, Nathaniel decided this was the moment. The situation could not have been planned out better nor have been a better surprise to Abigail.

So right then and there Nathaniel led Abby to a nearby cliff directly in front of her brother Luke with his camera, got down on one knee, and proposed to Abby. Thankfully, Luke had the presence of mind to turn his attention from the lovely sunset and capture the moment between Abby and Nathaniel. Surprised, Abby said "yes."

The next few months continued to be uncertain as the couple proceeded with wedding plans without knowing for sure how long the COVID-19 crisis and lockdowns would last. They committed their plans to the Lord and prayed that they would be able to work toward a July 11th wedding date. As the date began to approach, Governors around the country increasingly opened up commerce again, and it seemed that things were coming together for their joyful union …