28-29
In Dr. Olford’s words:
When God explained to Adam what was lacking in his life, he must have
acquiesced to God’s will, or else God would never have imposed a woman on his
life, for to have done so against Adam’s will would have been an immoral act.
God caused a deep sleep to come upon him, and Adam was prepared to rest in the
will of God until God awakened him to the right partner. Only while Adam was
asleep in the will of God could God create the woman that was suitable for him
in every respect.
Then, of course, there was the awakening – God’s consummation of the
love, courtship and marriage, as it were. When Adam awakened, the woman that
God brought him matched him perfectly. There was an affinity of spirit, soul,
body, for they had met in God.
As far as I was concerned, this revolutionized my thinking. Having seen
this truth, I decided I was not going to do any kind of exploring to find a
wife; I was going to sleep in the will of God. And the amazing thing is that
when you sleep in God’s will, He puts a protection around you. Many young women
could have broken into my life between the ages of twenty-five and thirty, but
they were held off while I did the job God wanted me to do.
43
The spiritual battle in Penny’s mind revolved around the question, What
is your way, Lord, of drawing two people together? She had learned the
importance of “guarding her heart” (see Proverbs 4:23) and keeping herself not
only physically but also mentally and emotionally for one man. The spiritual
battle in my mind was What is wrong with me? My mind would be tempted to image
being somebody else that could instantly win her heart. My journal is full of
entries of disappointment and even jealousy of others who seemed to enjoy more
favor from her. It is also full of questions about whether my life could truly
make a wife happy.
46
I do not want what is good or even better, but God, give me Your
absolute best in all areas of my life.” At that moment the mailman arrived with
my letter. The last line of the letter read “May God give you His best in all
ways and at all times.”
59-60
Thank You, Lord, for these readers and Your love for them and Your
knowledge of their deepest desires and aspirations. Build a wall of protection
around them to protect them from the wrong people, and mold them into the
beautiful people You designed them to be. In You timing and will, lead them
into marriages that are clearly of You. On their wedding days, may there only
be tears of joy – not tears of regret and sorrow. May You do something in each
of our lives that could bring great rejoicing in heaven for all eternity. At
each of our vulnerable moments, send Your heavenly support in our lives. Give
us the grace to believe You for Your best, and may You never forget this
prayer, but remember it day and night and act upon as each day requires.
May the following chapters be used of You to answer this prayer. For
your glory and our eternal benefit. Amen.
64
The unwritten code among us was “attention toward all, but intention
toward none.” I was exhorted to “guard my heart with all diligence, for it
flows the springs of life” (see Proverbs 4:23). Consequently, we singles
fellowshipped in groups, not pairing off. The Lord gave us marvelous times, and
we had great freedom to exhort one another to love and good deeds and to serve
the Lord together with our strength, devotion, and enthusiasm. In the inner
recesses of my heart, I was yearning to do my husband good all the days of my
life (Proverbs 31: 12), even before I knew who he was. This transformed me into
pursuing the Lord will all my heart while keeping myself for one man only.
75
Waiting is a very important aspect of the Christian life, but it is not
easy. It is difficult to wait on God for His provision of a life partner. The
gift of perspective is something that God offers to you free of charge, but it
was at great expense to Him. The gift of being controlled by His love and
delivered from living only for ourselves was purchased by Christ’s sacrificial
and substitutionary death.
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one
died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live
might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on
their behalf. (2 Corinthians 5: 14-15)
It is not wrong to desire marriage, for God created us with needs that
He often uses marriage to fulfill. Only as we are able to put these desires in
perspective are we able to trust Him with these desires. If we think only of
ourselves, it is impossible to trust God in this area. However if we delight in
the Lord who has delivered us from living only for ourselves, the question is
now, “How do You desire me to use my singleness as I wait on You for Your will
and provision of marriage partner?”
76
Many of us can relate to feeling alone when we are at a
couple-dominated gathering and are without a companion or life partner. I
remember the testimony of very godly single lady who had ministered around the
world. She talked about this lonely feeling she experienced each time she
attended wedding ceremony. Through continuous prayer, she learned to give that
time at the wedding to the Lord and look to Him to deliver her from temptation
to feel sorry for herself.
It is a mouthful to say that we need to let God train us to look to Him
alone for our ultimate sense of security and significance. Only in this way
will our ultimate sense of well-being not be determined by the presence or
absence of a mate. Is not a key theme of godly singleness contentment?
77 Definition of contentment
Jeremiah Burroughs, in his work entitled The Rare Jewel of Christian
Contentment, defines contentment as a “sweet, inward, gracious form of Spirit
which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in
every condition.”
Source: Believing God for His best: How to marry contentment and singleness by Bill Thrasher (2004)
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