Reflection
I’m often asked how I remain patient with God’s plan for my life when I’m still single. I’ve talked so much about it, it’s no secret—eventually I want to get married. The truth is that there have been many moments when I’ve been tired of waiting for the right guy to arrive. My mum challenged me once. “You need to let go and trust God with this,” she said. I started tearing up. She was right. I asked, “How do you let go of something so important?”
Relinquishing this to God has been quite a process, but I don’t want anything for myself that God doesn’t want for me. Where are the joy and abundant life in settling for something that He doesn’t desire for my life? Releasing this was incredibly freeing. I still believe God will grant me this desire, but I will trust God either way. Until you come to that place of abandonment, the grass always looks greener on the other side. If you can’t surrender something of such importance, the danger is that when it comes you will cling to it and suffocate it, and you may end up hurting the very thing you have longed for. I now feel that I will be able to go into marriage as a whole person. A better prayer than “God, when will You bring the special guy into my life?” is “God, I don’t know what You have in mind for my future . . . but I await whatever it is expectantly, knowing that You know me better than I even know myself.” I don’t want any less than what God has in mind. I want the best that He has in mind.
Looking Further
Have you ever waited for something so long that when it actually happened it wasn’t nearly as exciting as you hoped it would be? Have you ever longed to open a Christmas gift, and after you did, felt disheartened? Have you ever anticipated an event but when the big day arrived, you were less than overwhelmed? Have you ever had a dream so vivid and incredible that when you woke up you were disappointed to discover it wasn’t real life? These experiences can be really frustrating. We certainly don’t want our expectations to let us down in marriage, and if we’re not careful, we can live in a fantasy world concerning wedded bliss that can never be realized in true life. On the other hand, God’s plans for us may be far beyond what we have imagined for ourselves. The prophet Isaiah spoke these words:
Since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. (Isa. 64:4-5, NLT)
The key while we wait on Him, Isaiah says, is to continue to walk with God, getting on with life and doing good.
Living It Out
Have you placed your life and your future completely in God’s hands? If not, as you have your palms open and facing the ground, tell God that you want to relinquish your personal desires. Then turn your opened palms over so that they face heaven, and tell your Father that you surrender your future to His will for your life. It’s a scary prayer, but one that God will certainly honor.
Excerpted from Pure Copyright © 2008 by Rebecca St. James.
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