Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Relationships are at the core of our being; there is no doubting that. We all strive for love, a feeling of adequacy and affirmation from others, especially from the opposite gender. This series has me thinking now, more than ever about the place that God has me in right now: being single. Now let me be straight with you; I want nothing more than to get married, have a family and share my life with someone. And I am beyond convicted of that desire. I am not saying that what I want, which is probably what you want too, is a bad thing. God created marriage and family. BUT, is it healthy for my will in this to be over God’s will? Absolutely, not.
I was on my commute home from work and heard this song by MercyMe called “Bring the Rain”. This song has been around for a while, but as I am stuck in traffic, I truly began to listen to the words. From the entire four minute song, one line stuck out: “Bring me anything that brings You glory”. Now, let’s pause. Reread that. Does the word ANYTHING stand out? (Okay, maybe it does now). Not just things that are convenient, within our grasp or things we have control over. Anything. Dictionary.com defines anything as “any thing whatever; something, no matter what”. No matter what. Hits a little hard, huh? We all want to have everything under control. With my past, control was something I craved and was obsessed with. It played a big part in who I am now. So for me, learning to give up control in the one thing I so desire to have in life, is not that easy.
For those of you who know me pretty well, I’m not a crier. The movie The Notebook: not a single tear. Weddings: no tissues needed. Ladies and gents, when I heard this line, I cried. Do you want to know why? I realized I was living out this idea of happiness in marriage out of my own will for my life. I did not consult the God of the universe who created marriage. I was set in my ways; I had my own plan.
So with this idea of surrender and being content where God has me now, is a learning process. I really do wake up every morning and tell God that “my life is His.” And as hard as that may be, I give my singleness to God regularly. Am I scared? Yes. But, more than ever, I fully understand what it looks like to have God in control. I know that nothing I can do will even compare to the best that God has for me. Do I pray that God will allow me to be a wife and mother? Daily. But, knowing what surrender and living in the will of God looks like, I am confident that God knows what he is doing. I challenge you, my friends, to pray through your singleness. Know that there is so much learning and opportunities we have to work on ourselves and become the person that God intended for us to be. God knows exactly what he is doing. Praying for all of you!
Author: Nicole Presley