At 32 years old, on July 29, 2023, I tied the knot with the man I had fervently prayed for. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing. In fact, I spent over a decade living the single life, from 2009 until 2021. Of course, there were prospects along the way, but none of them turned into lasting connections. Sometimes, it felt as if my dreams of finding true love were slipping through my fingers.
During those challenging 12 years, I experienced moments of tears, loneliness, and self-doubt. I wondered if there was a neon sign on my forehead signaling men to ‘buzz off.’ At times, I even questioned whether my standards were too high. But in the depths of my heart, I had made a resolute decision to live my life for God with unwavering dedication. Although I stumbled along the way and made mistakes, I sought forgiveness and aimed to honor Him in all I did.
Living by my convictions wasn’t always easy, though. I faced ridicule from others who saw my beliefs as ‘old-fashioned,’ ‘boring,’ or ‘weird.’ These hurtful comments cut deep, but they also strengthened my resolve to seek God’s presence even more. I immersed myself in His word, found healing, and continued to trust in His plan for me.
Then, on July 4th weekend in 2021, my life took an unexpected turn. My husband, a stranger from the same social media group I was in, posted something that touched my heart profoundly. I couldn’t ignore the strong feeling that I had to thank him for his words. Little did I know that this simple message of gratitude would blossom into a beautiful one year and four months of dating.
As the days turned into months, our love grew, and on January 22, 2023, he proposed. Tears streamed down my face, not only because of the joyous moment but I realized that God had been silently orchestrating this divine connection all along. I was in awe of His faithfulness.
I share my journey with Christian Singles out there, both young and older, to remind you that God is always writing your story. Your heartfelt prayers are not in vain; they don’t fall on deaf ears. God hears each one of them. I know how challenging it can be to wait for years, hoping and praying for the right person. But I want to encourage you to trust in God’s timing.
You see, I’m now living in the reality of what I once prayed for, and it’s beyond what I could have ever imagined. My husband’s heartfelt vows said that I am the embodiment of what he had prayed for too. Wow. My 12-year wait was worth it all.
So keep your faith alive, and embrace the journey with hope in your heart. God’s plan is unfolding, and in the perfect timing, you’ll witness the fulfillment of your prayers. Trust in Him, for He is faithful. Your story is being written by the greatest Author of all.
Check out The Christian Singles Hub website for information on Christian matchmaking, Christian speed dating, upcoming Christian retreats, christian singles events, trips and so much more at https://thechristiansingleshub.com/
Written by Daria White Osah
You can find Daria Here:
Devotional https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Younger-Me-Devotional-Personal-ebook/dp/B09QRKBRGB/
Her podcast Single Plus https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singleplus
& on Instagram @mysingleplus
Maybe some people are just lucky? Sure, maybe it was “God’s will” that so-and-so finally got married. Maybe it was because of God’s “faithfulness.” Because of “God’s timing.” Maybe. How can we know that for sure?
Are all the singles single because God just has a different “timetable”? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it’s just bad luck sometimes.
The Bible doesn’t make us any promises about soulmates or “the One.” The idea of soulmates comes from Greek philosophy and mythology. In Matthew, Jesus clearly states that some people won’t get married (19:10-12) The Bible has good things to say about both marriage and singleness. When Paul talks about this (1 Corinthians 7), he writes that, if you’re single and struggle to control sexual desires, you should try to get married. In this case, the Bible encourages marriage. It does not, however, promise that it’ll work out for you if you do decide to pursue it. He does say that not everyone has the gift of singleness. But I’m sure that there’s many who lack this gift who, despite everything, still don’t find mates. There’s also married Christians who suddenly find themselves single due to freak accidents and unspeakable tragedies.This all sounds cruel and messed up, but we live in a cruel and messed-up world. It’s not necessarily God’s “plan” or God’s “fault.” It’s just a harsh world we live in. Paul himself cautioned singles about marriage “because of the present crisis.” If a Christian is single again because their spouse suddenly died in a freak accident, is that because God wanted to “bless” them with singleness again because of how amazing and wonderful it is? I doubt it. It’s just a bad world we live in.
I think a difference in cultures can make both biblical teaching and all the Christianese clichés so difficult to understand and apply to the single life. In biblical times, and for centuries afterward, marriages tended to be arranged in some way or other, with parents being much more involved in finding mates for their children. In modern times, we leave our kids on their own to figure all this stuff out. When they’re confused or discouraged, or feel hopeless about ever finding a mate, we “encourage” them by telling them not to worry, “God has a plan,” and “God has someone for you,” etc., even when we can’t possibly know these things for sure, and even when the Bible doesn’t contain those promises. I’ve also read that there’s more Christian girls in the world than there are guys. If that’s broadly accurate, it means not every girl will find a mate, no matter how much they want to. Is that part of “God’s plan” too? We live in a broken world. Just because you’re single doesn’t mean God wants it that way. Maybe He does. Maybe He doesn’t. We don’t always know, nor do we have any way of knowing. God’s will is often an inscrutable mystery when it comes to specific individual situations.
According to some Christians, if you’re single and never marry in your lifetime, it’s because of God’s will and calling. I don’t know about that. How are we supposed to know that for sure, exactly? Sometimes people will say this will only be revealed to you through long sessions of “prayer/meditation/contemplation,” or something like that. I’ve prayed over this for years, I still desire a relationship leading to marriage, and I still haven’t experienced success in this area of life, and I still haven’t “heard from God” on which path He supposedly wants for me. Maybe we just over-spiritualize the whole thing. And maybe God isn’t all that concerned with it. Maybe He just leaves the choice up to us.
If I’d married young, and was happily married, yeah. I’d probably thank God for it. I’d probably be convinced it was a great gift from God, for sure, and be quite thankful. As a single man who never planned to be single, I’m more skeptical about how much God really involves Himself in these things.
Maybe some Christians are just luckier than others. I don’t know. How much does God really involve Hismelf in our love lives? Who knows? I’m sure there’s many singles who stay that way for a lifetime. In that sense, well, I guess their prayers are in vain. But, yeah, I hope they won’t be.
Sure, God hears all of our prayers. But He doesn’t answer all of them. I’m sure every Christian comes to learn that, whether they’re single or married.