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“Never Break” as performed by John Legend, written by Benjamin “Mr. Hudson” McIldowie, Greg Wells, John Stephens, Nasri Atweh

We will never break
We will never break
Built on a foundation
Strong enough to stay

We will never break
As the water rises and the mountains shake
Our love will remain
We will never break

Those words sound like hyperbole, do they not?

It sounds like some impossible overstatement.

I can’t speak to John Legend’s marriage, though I have written several times about the impossibly smooth way in which he sings about it. But, as I understand it, he didn’t write these words. He simply brought them to musical life with the richness and fervency of a great worship anthem.

I would encourage you to click this link to pop open another window and let it play while you finish reading this post.

It may seem like gross exaggeration. But, though I can’t speak of anyone else’s, I can talk about my own marriage. That’s why I’m writing about this song. It is so much more than the usual sugary-sweetness of most love songs. It is a reminder that we will endure.

I’ve heard it said that, when two pieces of steel are effectively welded together, the joint becomes stronger than the pieces. I don’t have personal knowledge of such things, but I’ve always found it interesting that the word we see in the earliest explanation of marriage has that kind of image in view.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Genesis 2.24

This is an easier expression than the KJV word, “cleave.” It is to be fastened together, but not just connected. It is expanded upon in the next phrase in that whole idea of “one flesh.” It is intended to be the relational equivalence of welding two things into one.

That same word is used to talk about a man named Eleazar who was one of King David’s most renowned warriors. He was weary in battle but his hand was so gripped to his sword that he literally couldn’t let go. It stuck. That’s the power of this description of what marriage is supposed to be.

I’ve tried to explain this to young couples who were preparing to marry as two lives being welded into one. It will not be taken apart without serious damage to both pieces.

I might fall apart… again. She might crumble. But WE will never break.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’ve got the perfect marriage. But I can tell you that there is such a deep love and freedom in simply understanding that we’re in this for life. I might fall apart… again. She might crumble. But WE will never break.

Am I sure?

Yes, absolutely.

It is because the One who welded us together is stronger than any part of us. So, like the song says, this marriage is built on a foundation that is strong enough to stay. He is the One who is everlasting… and even explained His name as “I Am.” The thing that holds us together is the very thing that holds the universe in order, that holds the mountains up and keeps the oceans in their place.

WE will never break.

I’m not worried about us
And I’ve never been
No matter what may come our way
We will never break