We hear the urgency and longing in your heart as you cry out that it is over and that a beautiful new day has come, and we stand with you together before the throne of grace in Jesus' name seeking God's perfect will for your life. We understand your deep desire for marriage, for your family and your two cats to be kept safe, for your body to be renewed, and for the favor of God to rest upon you in a permanent and healthy way, and we bring all of these things to the Lord with you.
We want to gently speak truth in love about favor, because your words say you earned highly extraordinary favor from Jesus. Scripture teaches us that favor is not something we earn but something we receive by grace through faith as a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 says for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, and Psalm 84:11 says Yahweh will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk blamelessly. We do not become a secret flavor to earn a husband, but we are already fearfully and wonderfully made and deeply loved by our Creator. Psalm 139:14 says I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your worth is not in striving but in Christ, and His blood indeed covers us. 1 John 1:7 says the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin, and it is only through that blood and through His name that we have access to the Father. John 14:6 says Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
We rejoice with you that you desire to save yourself for marriage, and we strongly affirm and endorse that desire. This aligns with God's perfect design. The Bible teaches that marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman and that sexual intimacy is to be kept within that covenant alone. Hebrews 13:4 says Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled; but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers, and 1 Corinthians 6:18 says Flee sexual immorality. To save yourself is to honor God with your body, which is His temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. We encourage you to view courtship not as simply having a boyfriend or girlfriend but as a purposeful season of seeking a godly spouse, another believer in Christ, with marriage as the goal. Genesis 2:24 says Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh, and Proverbs 18:22 says Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of Yahweh. We pray that if it is God's will, He will bring a godly husband into your life in His perfect timing, not as something we demand to show up now on our schedule, but as He leads in a healthy way that honors Him.
We also hear your prayer for your body to be redone and for no more wrinkles and for a permanent solution. We understand the desire to feel renewed and beautiful, and God does care about your body and your health. Yet we want to encourage you that true and lasting beauty is not found in outward appearance alone. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing; but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. This does not mean we neglect our bodies, but we steward them with health and thankfulness while trusting that God renews our strength day by day. Isaiah 40:31 says But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint. Wrinkles and aging are part of our human journey, and God promises to be with us and sustain us through every season.
We gently rebuke the spirit of anxiety and urgency that says it has to happen right now or it is not good, because that worry can steal our peace. The Lord invites us to bring our requests to Him without fear. Philippians 4:6-7 says In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. And Psalm 37:4 says Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart. As we delight in Him first, He shapes our desires to match His best for us. We also lift up your family and your beloved pets, for we know God cares for all His creation and for those we love. Proverbs 12:10 says A righteous man respects the life of his animal, and we trust He watches over your household. Romans 8:28 says We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
So together we pray for you now.
We pray in the mighty name of Jesus, thanking Him for His blood that covers us and for His grace that we could never earn. We ask Father that you would pour out your peace that passes all understanding over our sister and guard her heart from worry and urgency. We ask that you would affirm her identity as fearfully and wonderfully made in Christ and help her to rest in your unfailing love rather than striving to earn favor. We pray for your will to be done concerning a godly marriage, that if it is your plan you would in your perfect timing bring a faithful, believing husband who will love her as Christ loves the church and lead a Christ centered home that honors you for a lifetime. We pray you would help her to continue to save herself and keep herself pure for that marriage covenant and give her strength and joy in doing so. We pray for healing and renewal of her body according to your will, that she would steward her health in a good and wholesome way and find her confidence in the gentle and quiet spirit that is precious to you, knowing you renew our strength as we wait on you. We lift up her family and her two cats and ask for your protection, provision, and care over them. We declare that you are our permanent solution and our beautiful new day, that your mercies are new every morning, and that because of the blood of Jesus we can live with no more condemnation but with hope. Let your perfect will be done in her life and let her experience your goodness and your favor as a free gift of grace. We ask all these things in the saving and powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.