Friends, Enjoy Lane Williams Yoder’s continued story of the gift of singleness. I know it will be an encouragement to you as it has been to me. The lessons below are applicable to all types of struggles. Sara
Encouragement by Lane Williams Yoder
On that cold morning, while I didn’t realize it at the time, Jesus was becoming not only my Savior, but also the Lord of my life. I regard that time as a 2nd testimony. Through gritted teeth and bitter breath, I was being molded by God into who I was meant to be. Over time, I continued to thank God for my singleness and slowly that prayer became less angry, less bitter. Then, one day, a few years later, I realized my eyes had been opened to the joy – yes, joy – of singleness and I began to embrace with delight this status. He is the potter and we are the clay. Was it always easy? No. Were there times of deep sadness and suffering in the longings and desires of my heart? Yes. The Bible says “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12a), but joy is possible. So, how did I get there?
- I began to read and study God’s Word. Although I had been a Christian since I was 14 years old, I was now an adult and admittedly, I had never read the Bible from beginning to end. And on that subject, let me say it is NEVER too late to read God’s Word. For many of us who were raised in the church, there is almost a shame to admit we have reached adulthood and have never read the Bible. We have to get over that and pick up the Bible and start reading it – today.
- I memorized verses I could cling to and in times of doubt, when I felt God had forgotten me, I would say those verses over and over, verses like:
Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 84:11b “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - I had friends who would sit with me in the pain. Friends who wouldn’t try to fix things or give me false assurances, but friends who would point me to the Cross for my true assurance.
- By God’s grace, I found the courage to pray a prayer of surrender: “give me or withhold from me whatever you chose”, a prayer I heard in a sermon by Dr. Tim Keller. Was that a hard prayer to pray? Absolutely. Were the moments of surrender fleeting? Certainly. However, God, in His abundant goodness and kindness, took my weak faith and provided for me after He became the true love of my soul, my true eternal spouse, the one above whom I will place no man. God didn’t change. I did.
Survival Guide Top Tip: find that one verse to which you can cling and memorize it.
