"O come, magnify the Lord with me. and let us exalt His name together!" (Psalm 34:3) This was the verse that Ray Ortlund used to propose to Anne Sweet just before Christmas in 1944.
A friend mentioned recently in a group email that the greatest goal a Christian couple could have was to worship the Lord together. I immediately thought of this story of Ray Ortlund's proposal, which I had read many, many times in Anne's books.
I replied to that email with their story, and added, "And they did! They had a long and fruitful ministry, and although they are both in Heaven now, their children are all involved in full-time ministry. "
As I was searching online for details of their story, I came across some other sweet and inspiring stories about this couple.
They met in a prayer group. According to Anne, "The first few weeks we talked to the Lord more than we talked to each other."
Their love story was precious, from beginning to end. They moved into a high-rise condo in their later years, in part because, as Anne said, elevators "are for kissing--if no one else is in the elevator."
Just before Ray's death, he wrote love notes to Anne and hid them around their house and hid them for her to find later. One said, "I was born to love you."
This article and this video tell more about their love story. They are well worth clicking over!
Ray's advice to other couples was this: “The closer you get to Christ, the closer you get to each other and the less there will be between you.”
...the secret to their greatness is obvious. Deep in their hearts was one controlling passion: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Their romance was for Christ. Their everything was for Christ. And that way of living always has world-changing impact, because Christ himself is powerfully present in it.What a legacy!
Anne Ortlund had a profound personal impact on my life. Come back tomorrow for Part 2 to hear more about her influence.
What authors have significantly impacted your life? I'd love to hear who and how in the comments here or on Facebook!
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