We are in the last weeks of what has been a very difficult year for most. I’ve spoken with many single women that have described it as “a time of my life that I never want to see again!” In most cases, this is because of the difficulty of handling things without the support of a partner. The road ahead will present more challenges. As single believers, God has been faithful to strengthen, guide, and protect us. He’s brought us this far by faith, and He will never leave or forsake us. He’s faithful to His promises, and we know this. But even though we’re anchored in the goodness of God, we’d like to walk through challenging times with someone that will have our backs, so to speak, someone that will journey through life with us. Feeling this way isn’t wrong. From the beginning, God made it clear that partnership is good for people. So, the desire to have a marital partner is natural and pleasing to God when our hearts are in the right place. The question is whether we are walking in faith in this area of our lives, because if we are, a presentation from God is very near.
Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. From this, you and I can envision the ears of faith perking up as it hears the truth of God being spoken. We can also know with a great deal of confidence that faith will not come where there’s some lying going on. This is a very fundamental truth that is essential for building a foundation for faith and believing in our lives. Some of us think that we can believe the truth a teensy bit, and that’s enough to open the door to blessings. It isn’t. In Hebrews 12, God tells us about the great cloud of witnesses. These are folks He holds in high regard because they were sold-out and fully persuaded in faith when it came to Him and His Word. These individuals didn’t have the rights and privileges that you and I do as God’s sons and daughters. They didn’t have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling inside their body temples. We do. So, God points them out to let us know the bar, because the expectation is that we will exceed it.
Because of the faith that Jesus Christ has given us, we have the capacity to exceed their accomplishments, and it will require us to recognize that God holds the plans for our lives, not us. In Hosea 14:8-9(NLT), God said to His people, “8 O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me.” 9 Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.” We can’t have a mindset that is so determined on doing the things that we think are the way to go. We must depend on God and let Him show us the way to go. The paths that God would have us follow are true and right, and when we walk His path, His goodness and mercy will chase us down. An acquaintance said to me, “I’m expecting my man to propose to me any day now. He knows what he’s getting in me already.” I love her confidence, but what if he doesn’t propose? Will she remain confident in God’s provision? Will she allow her hopes to fall to the ground because he doesn’t propose soon, and will she continue to wait until he decides he’s ready?
The path of God’s righteousness would not have us be dependent in any way on how we think a person will respond to our worth. Our fruit comes from a Tree that is always green. God is our Source! 2Corinthians 3:5 declares that He alone is our Sufficiency. Where we have to be in our minds and hearts is firmly anchored in the reality that God will provide. We don’t get a pass for having a little bit of confidence in God and a whole lot in what we think a person can offer us. The man that will be a treasure to our lives is a blessing from God. This is the discernment God requires us to have, and we can’t vacillate about having this part straight in our minds and hearts. The blessing comes from God, and He’s the One who handles all the details.
Jesus Christ commands in Matthew 6:33 that we seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness above all else. Many of us often assume that we have wiggle room when it comes to our Master’s command, but God has made it clear that we will stumble and fall when His love isn’t our first agenda. Being firmly anchored in God’s love allows all the other parts of our lives to work. And we can’t think that merely offering up lip service will do the trick. Romans 12:2 tells us that our responsibility is to prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect Will of God. We, you and I, do the proving of our faith. We are the ones who certify through our actions that our love for God is real and authentic. Heavenly Father is faithful to His Word and promises, and He is happy to bless us to meet and marry a wonderful person, but we must know with every fiber in our being that our love for God is the only container big enough to hold a treasure of a spouse. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Showing God Your Proof” written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.