In June 2017, we had some sorrowful news. No one had died, but the news was still devastating. My brother’s girlfriend and her family had been refused an extension on their Visas and were given just 28 days to pack up, leave the country and return home. She had spent pretty much all of her childhood and early adulthood in the UK. Everyone was distraught. My brother’s face, though it appeared calm, couldn’t hide the inner frustration. It hurt.

2 months after their exit, my brother Bob travelled out to India, having made up his mind that he would ask her to marry him. She said yes. A great moment. But that moment faded. He had to return home. She couldn’t return with him. It hurt.

So many questions arose for the future; would we in the UK see her return, or would he move out to India? Bob would fly out when he could, the distance and cost and travel were great. Facetime and email, texts and phone calls can only partly sustain relationships. It wasn’t enough. I was essentially an onlooker and it hurt.

In all of this, it seemed our prayers for resolution were going unanswered. That hurt most of all.

On a morning 18 months later, I was woken up by my wife, who had received a message from Partei in India. Her fiancée visa had been accepted. She was returning to the UK. The wedding was on!

BANG! In an instant the game-changer had changed the game. Depression had been turned to joy, a celebration could be had of 2 becoming 1, the God of ages had answered prayer, He had been faithful. God had taken on the Home Office (to an extent) and the distance and the worries and the stresses and had won. It didn’t hurt anymore.

My response was to write this song. Alongside useful ideas from my wife about what marriage is, our experience and thoughts for lyrics, I used the 1st verse to tell their story, the 2nd verse to talk of the great wedding in Revelation, and the rest to celebrate what God has done and his great faithfulness.

And so, as I write this story 2 weeks before the wedding, God is indescribable at times but hopefully you made it to the end of this story and came out with the same feeling I did: feeling in absolute awe at what a faithful God we worship and serve. God changes the game. And he can do the same for you too.

Si Hudson

Singer/Songwriter & Musician