FLOURISH IN WAITING

By Jennifer Wake

When I was a little girl, I was sure that I would marry someday. 

After college I moved far from my family and friends to become a science teacher in West Virginia. I didn’t know anyone, but in time I made some good friends. Dating didn’t come as easily. Longing to find Mr. Right,  I tried many ways to meet men, but nothing seemed to work.

In that season of my life, it seemed I heard this verse over and over: “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him’” (Genesis 2:18). I felt that God was indicating I needed to marry, so I started adding the word NOW.  I needed to marry NOW.

Despite my pleading, God remained silent. Instead He worked to change my heart. 

Instead of a husband, God sent a friend, a spiritual mentor, who encouraged me to follow God. My prayers shifted from seeking a husband to asking God to change me. 

Two years later I moved to Virginia, near Washington, D.C. I shared a house with a group of single Christian girls. Still desiring a husband, I began to ask rather than beg for the man of my dreams. I assumed a husband would make me feel complete. However, God wanted me to be complete by spending time with Him. 

The girls and I decided to pray for each other for six months and to hold each other accountable in our relationship with God. Studying about loving God more taught me about waiting for true love. We reflected on the book of Psalms which feature many verses about waiting and about longing. As I began desiring time alone with God, I allowed him to fill me and lead me into a deeper relationship of love.  

How to Flourish in Waiting: 

1. Wait with a friend.   

2. Begin each day in prayer. 

3. Keep serving God.  

Some of us in that house got married. Some didn’t. But we are all flourishing in our own way because we know God and are not alone.

Ponder:

What are you waiting for today? What is God asking of you while you wait?

Verses to Consider:

Psalm 130:5

Psalm 46:10

Isaiah 40:31