God Always Keeps His Promises

Dressed in my wedding gown, I stared out into the parking lot of the church from the darkened Sunday school room. Surrounded by toys and the familiar smell of crackers and Lysol, I began to wonder if the caterers had arrived. As I watched people begin to arrive for the ceremony,  thoughts began to race through my head about if this had gotten done or that had been put away. Then I stopped myself and gave myself a lecture. You will not worry about any of this! You will trust the people who are here to help you organize and take care of this wedding. So what if not everything is perfect. You will more than likely be the only one that knows that or cares. I began to relax and focus on the momentous occasion that was about to happen. My mom and matron of honor came in to check on me one more time, and then my dad came in to wait until it was time to walk me down the aisle. He and I looked at each other and smiled and tried not to get emotional. We both knew what this moment meant.

The first person to pray over me about my husband was a pastor I very much respected. This happened in my twenties. There were many people over the next twenty years that did the same. It was encouraging but discouraging at the same time. Why was God having me wait so long? What was it about me that kept getting “skipped over”? Is there something I am doing that is wrong? I was well into my forties by the time I met and married my husband. It felt like a long time promise from God finally fulfilled. 

I really believe God is way more interested in the processes of life than the outcome. Over the years until I met my husband I had many chances to grow my faith. I also had many opportunities to grow disillusioned, disappointed and discouraged. I had a choice to make. Was I going to trust God with my life? After all, I had dedicated my life to Him. Or was I going to trust in my current circumstances? And my current circumstances were that I was very much single. I will admit there were times I had very big faith for this promise, and then there were times of disillusionment and discouragement and tears. I think that is completely normal as you are involved in the process, but what I learned was not to stay there. I learned to take those feelings, give them back to God, and once again recommit to trusting HIs plan for my life. Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV) says “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” We can not allow ourselves to let our hearts become sick. If we continue to stay in hope eventually, there will be a tree of life. Whatever that may look like in our lives. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” We have to trust that God alone sees the big picture. He is for us, not against us. I believe the years I spent single is what God used to prepare me for the unique issues I would face in marrying a widower with two adopted children. I believe that if God had not walked me through the process of relying on HIm and gaining strength from Him, I would not have been prepared for the promise He wanted to give me. I have learned that the processes of life God wants to walk us through are not always easy, but they are always for a purpose. It is because He loves us that He takes joy in walking us through a process to prepare us for His promises. 

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