God's Goodness in Two Movements

I really resonated with Elisabeth Adams' Boundless article this week, "His Love Stories." Perhaps it was because my own sister also found her love and got married this year. (Quite literally; my sister and her husband weren't even dating this time last year.)

After sharing the wonderful stories of how God brought together some of her married friends, Elisabeth writes:

It was only because of the mercies of God that, after years of wrestling, I finally relinquished control of my love life to Him. Contrary to my expectations, it had nothing to do with ceasing to care about marriage. Instead I learned to become a living sacrifice: regularly, trustfully pouring out all my longings before Him.

And I am certain He hears. After all, God is "the best maker of all marriages," and I'm convinced that He loves to do it! He brought Eve to Adam. He prompted Eliezer's prayer for guidance, and then answered it by matching Rebekah with Isaac. He arranged for Ruth to "accidentally" bump into Boaz, inspired Naomi when she counseled Ruth to consider this man who seemed so beyond her grasp, and fueled Boaz's determination to finish the matter that very day.

This is a picture of God's heart. This is what He wants to do for all His children. This is what He wants to do for me.

I'm sure it was no coincidence that Ted chose to publish my article next to Elisabeth's. It has a similar theme: trusting in God's goodness.

Something I pondered as I was writing "Vessel of Honor" was this idea that ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been trying to convince us that God is withholding something from us — that He doesn't truly have our best interest at heart. This causes us to grasp at what we want, because we don't trust God to meet our needs. This shortsightedness can cause us to base our contentment on present circumstances because we fail to understand the big picture — that ultimately obedience will be rewarded both in this life and the next (Psalm 73:13-17). Shifting our perspective to an eternal one makes a world of difference.

I think singles must feel more acutely than most that we are "aliens and strangers" in this world (1 Peter 2:11). The thing is, all people long for something more because this earth is not our true home.

And so the gap between single and married is not so wide after all. All of us wait eagerly for our ultimate union with our heavenly Bridegroom. And as we live faithfully — single and married — our very lives proclaim Christ to the world.

I recommend reading Elisabeth's and my articles together. Remember your high calling, child of God. The world needs sons and daughters of God who live like they truly believe.

Comments

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1. Pedro said the following at 9:58 PM on Dec 20:

Those two articles were really helpful to me because I just had a discussion that ended any hopes of a relationship with someone I liked a lot. Somedays it just feels like the deck is stacked against me, but God knows what he is doing.

2. Sean said the following at 7:02 PM on Dec 21:

This has been an incredibly encouraging week of articles at Boundless. Just the right time for me to finally start commenting. Keep sharing the faithfulness of Christ with us.

3. Caroline said the following at 7:03 PM on Dec 21:

I also found the article uplifting -- thanks to you both for your wonderful writing.

4. BDB said the following at 9:27 AM on Dec 22:

Good writing!

Perhaps we'll both get stuck at Sea-Tac airport this week!

5. Stephanie said the following at 9:28 AM on Dec 22:

Both articles have given me much needed encouragement in this area. Thank you, Suzanne!

6. dana111 said the following at 9:30 AM on Dec 22:

Thanks for both articles. As a single Christian woman, I appreciated "His Love Stories." I love knowing that God still creates loving marriages and still places the lonely into families of their own. Also, I did appreciate "Vessels of Honor." It was a good reminder that I am blessed of God in whatever state I am in. I am believing God for marriage, though I in no way feel inferior to my married friends. They love me enough to not allow me to feel self-pity and bewail my unmarried state. I know that I have been set apart by God, and when I do get married, I pray to continue living a sacrificed life for Him. I am a vessel of honor regardless of my married state! I am blessed of God, not because I am single or married, but because His life indwells in me. Because of that, though I believe that God is preparing me to be a wife, I can be content in the present and in the future.

God Bless

7. Merly said the following at 9:30 AM on Dec 22:

I don't write nearly often enough to say thank you for all the godly wisdom that the Boundless team offers me. With that said, both these articles have been so encouraging to me. I've really given more thought to the parable of the 10 virgins and lamps of oil (Matthew 25) mentioned in "Vessel of Honor." Although the parable eludes to being prepared for the return of Christ, I think it also speaks to those ladies who are waiting for their earthly beloved. The scripture goes on to say that the bridegroom was taking a long time to come, so the virgins fell asleep. Yet, the wise ones were ready ahead of time with oil-filled lamps. In the same way, how can those that are single be "prepared" for when our moment does arrive? What can we do to be diligent in the meantime? I suspect Candice's book (Get Married: What Women Can Do to Make it Happen) offers answers to these questions...

8. Sarah P. said the following at 9:31 AM on Dec 22:

I have a great respect for you ladies and the truth of your words.

[E]ver since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been trying to convince us that God is withholding something from us — that He doesn't truly have our best interest at heart.

Perhaps this is why Paul writes in Hebrews that "faith is knowing that God is and that He delights to reward those who diligently seek Him."

I know that I for one stop having peace when I stop believing the second half of that.

9. Melissa said the following at 11:59 AM on Dec 22:

Both articles brought tears to my eyes and were indeed meant by God to be published side-by-side. What a warm and loving Christmas gift my precious Father sent to me with through these two women, both vessels of honor. I too must be reminded to "live like I truly believe," trusting in His infinite goodness.

10. Margaret said the following at 12:00 PM on Dec 22:

My little sister got engaged a little over a week ago. Elizabeth's words really resonate with me. I have to keep reminding myself that God has a special plan for me, that will be fulfilled according to His time--not my own.
I have lived this conversation so many times already:
After we savored all the girly details, she asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?" Good question. I am, after all, the older sister. Shy and unsure of where she was with God, I decided to go with the short answer. "No," I said. "Maybe someday."
Now I wish I'd had the courage to tell her the truth: God's goodness to Rachel does not leave me crushed or jealous, just hope-filled!

11. Katie P. said the following at 1:05 PM on Dec 22:

Ditto the thanks. It's funny how God uses Boundless to encourage me. Now I'm just praying for more faith to believe the truth of what you have written!!

12. Rachael said the following at 9:13 AM on Dec 23:

"...we don't trust God to meet our needs. "

--> The thought of finding fulfillment in Christ may sometimes seem cliche to those who have been Christian for a long time....cliche but not really deeply practiced/felt/thought. And perhaps a lack of finding one's sufficiency in Christ can leak through a multitude of sins.

I think for me, this issue is hitting home. I frequently found/find myself trapped in a certain sin. Perhaps some of the motivation behind that sinful area is my desire to be the best of the best ever in someone's eyes. But I'm finding (influenced by a couple people, one more directly than the other) that I cannot look to that desire for fulfillment. I need to find my fulfillment in Christ. Finding one's sufficiency in Christ is certainly not a new concept in Christianity, but I'm realizing it in a personal way. It's okay if I'm not the best of the best in that person's eyes (even though my intellectual side knows that yes that person DOES think highly of me sometimes what underlies my sin might make me FEEL differently). I don't need to be the best. Christ died for me. God is enough.

That's the mentality I want to take on - I want to think more about God and Him being enough for me. I know it's a simple concept, but for me it's becoming more real, finally, I think. My security should be found in Christ, not in another person.

Anyway, I guess I encourage people, if they feel sad about not being married, or sad about whatever, or have a sin they keep feeling trapped in, to look at the root, or try. Sure you might not see it. But if we can see that root, or potential root, and if we think of verses that God might use to combat/satisfy/fulfill those feelings, it would be a good thing. Something I need to do, anyway, and I'm glad to see a little light at the end of the tunnel/trap.

hopefully that longwindedness will remind even one of you to look to Christ for fulfillment and Scriptures to combat other stuff.

I once came across a website where there was a list of verses that related to certain sins and on the other side a list of verses that combatted those. Maybe like replacement theory or something?

Anyway thinking about scripture would probably really help people combat sin :). I know it should, but I say 'would probably' because i feel like I often don't put that into practice.

That's all ~~

13. Elisabeth said the following at 12:16 PM on Dec 23:

I'm encouraged and challenged by what you wrote, Suzanne...and excited to see the way God is caring for both of us!

14. Lindsey said the following at 12:38 PM on Dec 23:

I found this very encouraging! Thanks!

15. Crystal said the following at 11:58 AM on Dec 24:

Both articles are very true and with valuable insight. The problem is that it is many times easier said than done. And the wait time could get lengthy and, yes, painful.

I've seen some of my friends suffer during the wait. And these are friends that have committed their lives to Jesus. But this is something that troubles them. And I understand how they feel; been there myself.

An article on how to help our friends during this waiting time could come in very handy... Practical advise.

I would be happy to help on writing that one. Would be a great learning experience for me as well.