A note to singles on WAITING!

Singles: Waiting on God for a mate is EXTREMELY hard.

Sometimes it is difficult to wait on God for the things that we want or need. When I was a young teen, I remember how the hormones raged. Sexual thoughts were often on my mind. The idea of waiting till I was twenty-something to be married and enjoy sex did not sit well with me. In my pride and impatience, I turned to masturbation, pornography and girlfriends to satisfy my burning desires.

The Bible says, "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." (Lamentations 3:25 NKJV).

Waiting on God is perhaps most difficult when we're hoping and praying that the right person will come across our path for marriage. Whether you're young and fighting hormones, or older and fighting depression, trusting that God will meet your needs for companionship and affection is a challenge. Our faith in God can weaken when we face questions like, "Will I ever be able to enjoy sex in marriage?," or "Will I be single all my life?," or "Why do the married people get to enjoy the gift of sex and I have to do without?," Or "Has God forgotten about me?"

Let me encourage you that God has good plans for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (NIV). It takes a step of faith to believe that God has GOOD plans for us, especially if we’re getting older and things don't seem to be happening.

Think about Abraham, who was about 85 when God told him he would have a son. 15 years later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac. I'll bet that those 15 years were long and quiet, making it very difficult for Abraham to continue believing what God had told him. Waiting for marriage can be a similar challenge of faith. The Bible tells you that God has good plans for you…that he will crown you with "loving-kindness and tender mercies" (Psalm 103:4), yet it's hard to believe that when hope for a spouse seems to be fading.

Remember that God is the God of the impossible (Matthew 19:26). Even when it looks like things aren't going to happen, He can work a miracle for you.