The desire for a companion is a natural yearning placed within the human heart, yet it must ever be sanctified by a supreme love for the Heavenly Bridegroom. You ask for prayer to meet a woman, a spouse given of God. This is a right and proper petition, for the Lord Himself said it is not good for man to be alone. But remember this, the highest love of which the Scripture speaks is that of Christ for His Church. Husbands are bidden to love their wives even as Christ loved the Church. That is a love unparalleled, a love that binds itself by covenant, a love that gave itself even unto death. If you would know what true love is, seek it at the fountainhead. Let your first business be to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. A man who has been espoused unto Christ, who has tasted that the Lord is gracious, will then love an earthly spouse with a purer, deeper, and more self-denying affection.
Before you can be prepared to meet a godly wife, you must be prepared to meet your God. That is the most weighty admonition. The text sounds in varied tones, from the gentle call of Paradise to the awful challenge of judgment. For the believer, it is a summons to sweet fellowship, an invitation to climb the hill of communion and speak with the Lord as a man speaks with his friend. Seek this first and foremost. Let your soul be guided by His counsel. Have you taken the Lord as your Guide? Young friend, if you can have God to be your Guide now, in the morning of your life, how happy you will be! It will color the whole stream of your existence. If you start aright, leaning upon the arm of the Beloved, the path of your life, including the search for a spouse, will be directed by unerring wisdom.
You ask that God send a woman with a true interest who will not give up until you are hers and she is yours. This is a picture of that steadfast, covenant love which Christ Himself exemplifies, yet I would gently turn your eyes from fixing the design too rigidly. The love of Christ to His Church is a love that accepts us, honeycomb and all, the sweet wax with the pure honey. Our Lord takes His people with their infirmities, and His love does not give up though we often weary Him. He binds Himself to us by bonds that never shall be broken. Pray rather that your heart may be filled with such love towards Christ that you will not give up until you know you are wholly His. Then, when He sees fit to grant you an earthly bride, you will be enabled to love her not with a selfish demand for unwavering human affection, but with a gracious, forbearing, and Christlike love that covers a multitude of weaknesses.
Do not think it unkind if I remind you that the doctrinal method of knowing love, the mere study of principles, is but the lowest rung of the ladder. You long for a miracle, for a practical and living connection. That is well. But remember the greatest miracle is already yours if you are in Christ. The Lord Himself makes holy compounds out of the graces of His people. He gathers His myrrh with His spice, His wine with His milk. He knows how to order all things practically. Commit your way to Him. Let your prayer be less the dictating of a method and more the trusting of a child. Ask that in His providence, which is better than a miracle, He will cause your paths to converge with one who fears Him. And when you meet, let it not be with a frantic grasping, but with a quiet confidence that the Lord who guided Isaac’s servant to Rebekah will also guide you. The guidance of God is not a mere light at the end of the path, but a lamp unto your feet, guiding you in each practical step if you will wait upon Him.
Finally, let the benediction of love ever rest upon you. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. That grace has joy at its root, and where that grace reigns, it will dictate your desires. Seek not love for its own sake only, but seek that the love of Christ may so constrain you that whether you have a spouse or not, you will say, “Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” Then, in that sacred calm, you may both pray and wait for the Lord to bring His will to pass.