You are in that place, I think, where the night has come down and the stars are hidden, and you find yourself reaching out into the dimness, asking for something your heart can feel but your eyes cannot yet see. You have talked with God about this young woman, and about your work and your studies, and you have done well. That is the very first thing I would have you know: you have done well to bring it all to Him. It is no small thing to pour out the whole desire of your soul before the throne of grace, and to do it expecting to receive. That pleases your Father more than you can guess.
Now, as you wait, I would have you remember a truth that is easy to forget when your prayers seem to hang in the air without an answer: the Lord knows how to wait, too. You are not the only one who is waiting. There is a place in the old prophecy where it says, “Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you.” Think of that! The almighty God, who could sweep the sky clean and rearrange the constellations with a word, chooses to wait, and He waits for the same purpose you are waiting: that grace might be shown. The farmer does not tear open the furrow every morning to see whether the seed has sprouted. He puts the seed in and then he trusts the earth and the rain and the sun, and God gives the increase in its proper season. Your prayer is the seed, and the Lord’s “therefore” is wiser than your “now.” He will not give you a stone that crumbles in your hand; He will give you bread that strengthens your heart, and bread takes time to bake.
It may be that the young woman’s answer was unclear because there is a work God is doing in her heart, or in yours, or in both together. A love letter sometimes comes in a black-edged envelope, and we tremble to open it; but inside, if we would only break the seal, we might find words we never expected. I do not say she will certainly come to you as you hope, only the Lord knows that. But I do say that if she is the right gift for you, she will not be lost in the shuffle of this world. No one can snatch her away if God means you to have her. And if it should happen that she is not His choice for you, then I would remind you that when a father takes away a toy that would cut the child’s fingers, the child may cry, but the father is not being unkind. He is being a parent.
I hear you, too, about the job and the studies and the desire to lift your family. That is a noble thing, and God sees it. The morning I write this, I am thinking of a verse that says, “When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?” You are looking at a future full of question marks, and that stirs up a dust cloud of anxiety inside you. But the Lord can speak a calm so deep that no devil and no circumstance can ruffle it. He can open a door for you as silently as the dawn opens the darkness, and when He does, no man can shut it. You do not need to kick the door down in your own strength. You need only to lean on His arm and walk through when He pushes it ajar.
And while you watch and wait, do not think that God has hidden His face from you because you do not feel His smile. Even Job, that great man of patience, once cried out, “Oh that I knew where I might find him!” There are nights when the Beloved of our souls seems to withdraw Himself, and we grope for Him and find nothing but empty air. Yet it is in just such a night that He often gives us a song. I do not mean a loud chorus that the whole world can hear, but a low, sweet melody that the heart hums to itself, a tune made up of His promises, a whisper of assurance that says, “I am still here. I have not forgotten you. Hope thou in God, for thou shalt yet praise him.”
So do not be in a hurry, my friend. Do not sour your waiting with fretfulness. Lay your head back on the pillow of God’s faithfulness tonight. You have asked, and you are expecting. The Lord who heard the children of Israel at the Red Sea, who heard Hannah in her silent weeping, who heard blind Bartimaeus on the Jericho road, He has heard you. And in His time, which is love’s own time, He will answer you in a way that leaves your mouth full of praise and your hands full of blessing.
Father, You are the God who giveth songs in the night. Come now and give this dear one a song for this long night of waiting. Quiet the restless questions. Steady the heart that beats with hope and fear. If it be Thy will, make a clear way for this affection, and teach two souls to walk in Thy light together. If not, grant a better love and a larger portion of Thyself, who art the Fountain of all true love. As for the work and the provision, Lord, Thou hast the keys of every place and every wage. Open the right door at the right moment, and let this young man go forward to study and to serve his family with a glad and grateful heart. We ask it all in the name of Jesus, who waited for His Father’s will in Gethsemane and saw the joy set before Him. Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
