On a quest

As single people, sometimes we can find ourselves on a ‘quest’. We want a partner. Actually, as Christians we want a husband, or a wife. And that can become our goal. People ask us to pray about their sick relative or evangelism or the Sunday school and we give it lip service but really all we want to do is bang on God’s door and yell, ‘Where’s my significant other? Oh please God! I’ve given you my list of requirements!’ My advice? Scrap the list. God may be about to surprise you. He knows better than us about what’s right for us. He values love and faithfulness. And he knows what’s coming in the future. While we’re waiting, perhaps watching our friends receive the sparkly ring or the love poems, and the loving, faithful, supportive partner, our focus can shift onto what we haven’t got, rather than what we have. Perhaps we need to make ‘I want!’ into ‘What do you want, God?’ and begin to draw closer to him, using this time to encounter and experience him in a deeper way.

Remember the amazing story of the prodigal son in Luke 15? We can receive the ring God puts on our finger, the ring of family, of acceptance, of authority in his Son; God himself has written us a love poem, that is, his Word; and he himself is the loving, faithful support, the security, the accepting, never-failing one. Resting in God and trusting him for the future is key for all aspects of our Christian life. How much more important should it be when we are considering a lifetime commitment to another person?

During our time of singleness, we can draw closer to Jesus, letting go of our wish list and trusting the One who says ‘Follow me’ with his plans for us; Psalm 139 tells us he knows how we are made, that is, physically, psychologically, emotionally. Let’s allow him to build that relationship with us, which will last us a lifetime, and which we can bring into a future relationship to bless the partner God may give us. You know, I need to make that my quest. How about you?