by Tiffany S. from Virtuous Daughters, February 2011~Volume 10, Number 11 “The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.” —Lamentations 3:25 Utilize & Enjoy Every Minute . . .
During a time of waiting (for anything), it is vital that we focus on His will for us every day. It is critical that we spend much time in His Word (Psalm 1), and that we earnestly seek His face (Psalm 27). Also, we should enjoy every minute we have in this season of life. I love my family beyond words! They are very precious to me. I am saddened that some girls spend such massive amounts of time dreaming about (and truly, coveting) “tomorrow”—the future—that they cannot enjoy or even recognize the countless blessings God has bestowed upon them right now. There will undoubtedly come a day when we are in the next season of life, reminiscing on our past. . . I sure miss those days when my sister and I used to giggle and chat all hours of the night. I remember when Mom and I used to have so much fun sewing those matching dresses. The later at night it got, the crazier we became. I still feel awful for accidentally snipping her finger with the scissors! It sure was funny how I used to tell my brother about the embarrassing things that happened to me when I got together with new friends; he always laughed sympathetically. I miss those long, hilarious chats with Dad about my many dreams for the future… And then, startled, we will be suddenly jolted into reality that “the future” is here and we’re living it. We will cherish those memories of the past, and we will probably miss them. That’s not to say that marriage and a family of our own will not bring us joy, because it certainly will! That is a precious season of life that God is calling most of us to in His perfect timing—and I’d venture to say that all of us are eagerly anticipating it! However, it will bring trials and difficulties of its own. You see, our “problems” will not disappear when we marry, because our “problems” are us! (Surprise, surprise...) The sooner we learn this lesson, the better. If, in her pride, a girl fails to recognize that her flesh is her worst enemy, she is going to continually hurt her family. And, if she never learns this lesson before marriage, it will be a hindrance there too, because she’ll end up hurting her husband in the future. She will have expectations that he literally can never meet, and that God did not even intend for him to meet. We must learn that only Jesus Christ can truly meet our every need. Only in His presence is perpetual fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Several young, married women have said to me: “Enjoy every minute you have at home with your family; it goes by so quickly.” They have also encouraged me to learn joy and contentment now because, while they are very happy in the season of life God has them in, they realize that it is not always the picture-perfect scenario we can dream it up to be. As one mother said, “Someone who’s not happy single, won’t be happy married, either!” Our Everlasting, Unfailing Source of Joy . . . I am extremely grateful for the way in which my parents have raised me. They have taught me to love the Lord and to cling to His Word. Because I have been encouraged to focus on Jesus Christ, I can have confidence that His will for me is perfect. “As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all them that trust in Him.”—I Samuel 22:31 I know that He knows what is best for me, and by His grace, I have learned the joy that comes from trusting and resting in Him. What is the key? We need to remember Who our true Bridegroom is. We need to thirst for our living God (Psalm 42:2). We need to seek the Lord and His strength continually (1 Chronicles 16:11). We need to keep our mind stayed on Him, trusting Him, because in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:3–4). Instead of being anxious, we should bring everything to the Lord in prayer with thanksgiving, and His perfect peace—that passes all understanding—will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6–7). Instead of bearing our own burdens, we need to cast them on the Lord; He will sustain us—He will never allow the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22). Isaiah 54 says, “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called….with great mercies will I gather thee….with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on Thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer….For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” No human man can even begin to compare to the righteousness, holiness, mercy, love, faithfulness, knowledge, and wisdom of our God. And yet the Lord has declared that we are His very own (Malachi 3:17); He has kept us by His name (John 17:11–12); He delights in our prayers (Proverbs 15:8); He knows every hair on our head (Matthew 10:30); and He loves us and died for us in spite of our sin against Him! (Romans 5:8). He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5–6)—the promises of God’s Word are sure and steadfast, never to be doubted! He has saved us, set us apart from the world, and He calls us to live for Him (1 Peter 2:9). We serve a mighty God! It has been said that single people are often deceived into believing that a human relationship can solve their problems. Yet the truth is, it cannot bring them total fulfillment, and it’s not even supposed to! In fact, while a husband and wife do complete each other in a sense, we are ultimately complete at salvation, because Jesus Christ is all we need, now and forever. Colossians 2 clearly proclaims this truth: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.” No matter what season of life you are in—sowing, reaping; breaking, building; mourning, gladness; separation, closeness; losing, receiving; giving, keeping; silence, speaking; stillness, busyness; weariness, endurance; difficulties, blessings; illness, health; student, graduated; singleness, marriage—if you belong to Jesus Christ, you are complete in Him, and nothing can separate you from His love. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—from Romans 8 We can constantly rejoice in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! He is all we need and can be our ultimate desire! That is a wonderful thought! “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock….When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”—Psalm 27 Girls, do you realize what the Scriptures are telling us—over and over and over? Only the Lord brings true, real, lasting satisfaction (Lamentations 3:22–26). Only the Lord forgives and blots out our transgressions (Psalm 103:12, Isaiah 43:25); only the Lord loves us unconditionally (Jeremiah 31:3); only the Lord will never disappoint or fail us (Deuteronomy 31:6); only the Lord has an infinite source of strength and wisdom and grace and victory to draw from (Philippians 4:13, James 1:5, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 1 Corinthians 15:57); only the Lord can keep us from falling and will present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24). Only Him, only Him, only Him! The wonderful news is that this truth will benefit us throughout our single years and in our married years. Think of the sorrow we can save our future husband if we are not constantly looking to him to meet needs that he cannot meet. Think of how satisfied and “complete” we will be during our single years if we learn and apply these precious truths from God’s Word. So many women (and men) in this world are hurting because they do not know what Jesus can do for them. Our Savior’s work did not stop at redemption. He continues to sanctify and strengthen us as we grow in Him. He equips us with everything we need to serve Him. “And even to your old age I am He; and even to your hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you….I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me”—Isaiah 46:4,9 [To Be Continued . . .] Comments are closed.
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