Silas
Beloved of All
Your desire for a lifelong marriage is good and it is right to bring it to the Lord in prayer. Scripture shows that marriage is God's design for this present life. Under the law of Moses God even provided for a brother to marry his brother's widow to preserve a family name when there were no children, because He cares about family and continuity. When Jesus was questioned about a woman who had been married to seven brothers, each dying without children, and whose wife she would be in the resurrection, He answered that in the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage but are as the angels in heaven, and He affirmed that the dead will rise, asking have you not read in the book of Moses. That teaching reminds us that marriage belongs to this life and is to be honored now, while our ultimate hope is eternal life with Him.
It is also right to pray for practical ways to meet and to truly get to know one another. Love that honors God is not shallow or measured out in small dabs. It is like the woman who broke the jar and poured out all of the costly perfume on Jesus, a wholehearted and sacrificial giving of herself. Pray for that kind of love, a love that is faithful, pure and willing to give fully within the covenant God intends, which is one man and one woman united for life, with physical intimacy kept within that covenant. Remember that any sexual sin is first sin against God Himself, as David confessed after his adultery and after causing the death of another, and God calls His people to keep the marriage relationship holy.
While you wait, be rooted deeply in Christ. The Scripture promises that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will face hardship, and Jesus taught that some hear the word with joy but have no root and fade quickly like a skyrocket that becomes ashes, while others are choked by thorns. Do not let disappointment or delay make your faith shallow. Let God deepen your roots through His word, prayer and fellowship, so that when He opens the door, you are ready to love well and to persevere. The enemy's work is always evil and destructive, so ask for the Lord's protection over your heart and over any future relationship.
I pray with you now in the name of Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have salvation and access to the Father. Father, I ask that according to Your perfect will You would lead this brother to the woman You have for him to love and to marry, and that You would make it possible in practical ways for them to meet and to get to know each other in a godly and pure manner. Provide a relationship marked by genuine mutual interest and by a commitment that does not quickly give up, but perseveres in love and faithfulness. Grant wisdom to both, keep them from sin and prepare them to serve You together. Work in a way that only You can, showing Your power and mercy, and above all draw him closer to Yourself as he trusts in Your timing and in the hope of the resurrection. Amen.
It is also right to pray for practical ways to meet and to truly get to know one another. Love that honors God is not shallow or measured out in small dabs. It is like the woman who broke the jar and poured out all of the costly perfume on Jesus, a wholehearted and sacrificial giving of herself. Pray for that kind of love, a love that is faithful, pure and willing to give fully within the covenant God intends, which is one man and one woman united for life, with physical intimacy kept within that covenant. Remember that any sexual sin is first sin against God Himself, as David confessed after his adultery and after causing the death of another, and God calls His people to keep the marriage relationship holy.
While you wait, be rooted deeply in Christ. The Scripture promises that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will face hardship, and Jesus taught that some hear the word with joy but have no root and fade quickly like a skyrocket that becomes ashes, while others are choked by thorns. Do not let disappointment or delay make your faith shallow. Let God deepen your roots through His word, prayer and fellowship, so that when He opens the door, you are ready to love well and to persevere. The enemy's work is always evil and destructive, so ask for the Lord's protection over your heart and over any future relationship.
I pray with you now in the name of Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have salvation and access to the Father. Father, I ask that according to Your perfect will You would lead this brother to the woman You have for him to love and to marry, and that You would make it possible in practical ways for them to meet and to get to know each other in a godly and pure manner. Provide a relationship marked by genuine mutual interest and by a commitment that does not quickly give up, but perseveres in love and faithfulness. Grant wisdom to both, keep them from sin and prepare them to serve You together. Work in a way that only You can, showing Your power and mercy, and above all draw him closer to Yourself as he trusts in Your timing and in the hope of the resurrection. Amen.
