Waiting

The sight of a bride on her wedding day is breathtaking, the beautiful white dress and the bright bouquet of flowers, and the tears of joy.
A few years ago a good friend of mine got married to her best friend, at the reception I stood off to the side while she through the bouquet. She turned around to see who caught it, and she saw me holding the bouquet. Tears rolled down our cheek and she whispered in my ear, "You're next!" I have not forgotten those words. That was almost 3 years ago (maybe less), I've seen many of our friends get married since then and those words still grace my thoughts. The truth is that I'm still waiting, and much waiting is probably still yet to come. Many of us have the desire to love and to be loved- the perfect love that needs no boundaries, because it originates in and is governed by the Author of Love. We long for the day when we say "I do" to leave our father and mother so we can fully give ourselves to one person without needing to hold back any of our being. But now i s not that time, so we wait!

It says in the Bible 25 times in the book of Psalms that King David waited for the Lord he wrote, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning" (Psalm 130:5-6) "How long must your servant wait? I wait for your salvation, O Lord" (Psalm 119:84, 116). God called David a man after God's own heart. David said, "My soul waits, and in his word I put my hope (Psalm 130:5). I wait...O Lord, and I follow your commands" (Psalm 119:166). While David waited for the Lord to reveal the future, he obeyed the commands that God had given him for the present.

That's what we are called to do as we wait for marriage. As we wait for God to reveal the one he has planned for us, we are to obey his commands and prepare ourselves for our future husband. As we wait, we are to follow the commands that he has revealed to us through the Scripture. Unfortunately, this is easier said then done. How was it that David was able to wait for God's timing? Psalm 27:13-14 gives us the answer: "I am still CONFIDENT of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." David trusted the Lord to do what was best. We, too, can trust the promises of the Lord. We can know that the Lord will work all things out for our good and for his glory!

Even though marriage is not our ultimate hope or source of completion in life, the dream is still close to our hearts. We must never forget that while we are waiting the Lord is working in us and in our future spouse preparing us. "Wait for the Lord," sisters in Christ. "Be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14).