Focus on God’s Timetable

There is a single lady in the Bible who demonstrates God’s timing well. Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still unmarried until Abraham’s servant came along to seek her hand in marriage for Isaac. Let me spell out her qualities: beautiful, virtuous, diligent, humble, and hospitable. Doesn’t this perfectly fit the profile of the quintessential woman described in Proverbs 31?

But no man had married her! The answer I find to this is divine timing. God had plans for her to be married to the heir of promise and drafted into the lineage of the Messiah. Marriage is not always a function of your qualifications. King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that success is decided by being in the right place at the right time.

Being single is not a curse like society has made us believe. It is not punishment for being bad, just as marriage is not a reward for good behavior. Marriage is a gift from God, an overflow of God’s love and grace, not something we can earn. As with all gifts, it is the giver’s choice to determine whom to give it to. The Bible is full of the stories of single women who served God, like the daughters of Zelophehad who changed the inheritance patterns of Israel, Rahab who saved the two spies, the Samaritan woman who evangelized her village, and Mary who conceived the Messiah as a young virgin.

It is important to trust God’s purpose and timetable for us irrespective of our status or circumstances. God is using our lives for his greater purposes which can seem hidden from ordinary eyes at times.

Reflect

Are you willing to accept God’s timetable for you? Prayerfully consider what his purposes might be in your life today. Ask the Spirit to empower you to live today and each day to the fullest regardless of your circumstances.