Throughout our lifetime we are faced with many opportunities to grasp new lessons the Lord is trying to teach us while we are in a season of waiting. Recently, I've had conversations with several friends about the idea of waiting when it comes to a spouse. As each of us continues to grow older with every passing year, the circle of friends in our single stage of life has dwindled down to a few remnants - leaving some of them tired, impatient, and frankly "over it".
Our world views singleness as a bad thing. It's almost as if there is this invisible time clock that abruptly goes off once an individual reaches a certain age and they aren't married or in a dating relationship. It's as if to say "you'd better hurry up, time's running out!" Many of us have had friends and/or family concerned that we haven't found the "one" or that we aren't looking hard enough. But who are they and who are we to say when someone should be married or if at all? Being single doesn't define you. We serve the Author of time and if it is His will, it will happen...in HIS timing.
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him..." Psalm 37:7a
Sometimes you may feel like your prayers are falling on deaf ears. Often we try to take control of the situation, whether it be through compromising, settling for less than God's best, etc, for it is our fleshly response to the silence. Patience (also called long suffering) is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). Since we cannot do this in our own power, we need to ask for help from the Holy Spirit. Our strength is found in Him and through Him we will learn to persevere through any circumstance.
There is purpose through the process. We can use times of waiting to grow and mature in our relationship with the Lord. Waiting on God forces us to look to Christ. He desires to prepare you (Hebrews 13:20,21), to teach you to stay on your knees (1 Peter 5:6.7), and provide you receive HIS best (Ephesians 3:20). Waiting builds character.
How can we become the women God wants us to be if we don't take the time to sit, grow, and invest in our first love? Only He can truly satisfy the longings of our heart and fill that area in our life. When we begin to compare our lives to the lives of those around us, we can easily allow bitterness, jealousy, and anger to fester within. These are not godly attributes and will only draw us away from the Lord and the work He is doing in our hearts.
Allow this season of singleness to draw you closer to Him as He speaks so tenderly to you, while you actively wait on Him.
"Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!"
Psalm 27:14
...Just wait
With love,
Ashley
