When
we marry, we are much more immersed in the cares of this world than we are when
we are single. We strive to please our mate, which will at times keep us from
walking in God's Spirit, unless we pray
together and both walk in step with the Spirit (1 Corinthians 7:34-35).
If
we are not married…
We
are not blemished, we are blessed. We are not a second-class citizen, we are a
soldier for the Lord. We can follow the leading of God’s Spirit moment by
moment in His perfect will for our individual life.
We
are not directed by our mate's goals and spiritual direction. We can hear God
for our self and minister in ways in which a married person may be hindered
from serving. Our relationship with the Lord of life, living and dwelling
inside of us, can bring us to heightened levels of fulfillment.
As
women, a hunger for intimacy and unity envelops us to the point of famished
longing. However, no human relationship can fully provide this for us, because
it does not come from within. The loving presence of God within us is closer to
us than we are to our own self.
God
knew us before the foundation of the world. He knew us as we were forming in
our mother’s womb (Psalm 139). He has a perfect plan for our life, whether we
are married or single. Only as we dwell in His will can we be truly happy and
fulfilled.
Listening
is the only way we will know what God wants us to do. When we do take the time
to listen, God meets us in all of His glory throughout the day. No longer are
we desperate from earthly turmoil, but we find our self very desperate to get
even closer to God.
Whether
we are married or single, as we sit in silence with no inner clutter or outer
distractions, we reach a new level of awareness and a place of inner
tranquility. God keeps us in His perfect peace as we focus our mind on Him and
trust only in Him (Isaiah 26: 3).
Prayer:
Father
God, remind us that we can resist the urge to worry by praying and giving
thanks to You for the fulfillment of our request, even before You answer it.
This way, Your peace, which has nothing to do with our human resources and
understanding, keeps our heart and mind stable and secure through Christ in us
(Philippians 4:6-7).
We
want to make sure that our quiet times with You are a priority in our day. The
stillness we create around us during our vigil of meditation of You seeps
inside, and a new "quiet desperation" - as Henry Thoreau describes it
- takes the place of the old issues over which we used to obsess. We put all of
our trust in You, and serve You with our whole heart.
Thought
for the Day:
Every
fiber of our being yearns to satisfy this craving within us to increase our
intimacy with God, and nothing this earth offers can gratify this urgency - no
person, pet, place, thing, nor experience can match the level of intimacy that
we have possible with Christ within us.
