Happy New Year! I know it’s February, but this is my first official blog post of 2021, so I wanted to start by wishing you all a Happy New Year. I hope this year is going well for you so far and I hope you’re staying safe.
During this Valentine’s weekend, The Lord placed on my heart to write a blog post with scriptures to encourage those who may be feeling down on this holiday. Although this is a day to celebrate love, we know that this can be a difficult time for many, for various reasons. Some of you may be single and wondering when your time for marriage will come, some of you may have recently gone through a broken engagement, some of you may be married but unhappy in your marriage, some of you may be divorced, and some of you may be widowed. No matter your relationship status, God wants you to know that He loves you, He sees you, and He will comfort you and see you through this time. I pray that this blog post is a source of hope and strength for you no matter how you are feeling this holiday.
To those who are single and feel like you have been waiting a long time or simply tired of the wait: Do not lose hope. Don’t give in to the temptation to compromise. The wait will ALWAYS be worth it, and your single season serves a great purpose. The Author of time knows exactly what He is doing in and through you during your time of singleness. He is very intentional with your life and He knows what’s coming next and when it is coming. Rest in the fact that God knows, and He has it all planned out. Your job is to simply obey Him.
I know it can be difficult watching other people around you be in relationships and get married, and it’s easy to wonder, “when will my turn come.” It can be tempting to just give in and compromise for the next person that comes along, but please don’t do it. The temporary pleasure or fulfillment will be nothing compared to the years of heartbreak and the consequences that will come from moving ahead of God. Think of the fruit your disobedience will birth and think of the fruit your obedience could birth. Please don’t throw away years (or months) of honoring God for one holiday. Don’t allow this (or any) man-made holiday to dictate your actions and emotions. Don’t allow this holiday to lead you to someone’s bed or lead you into a relationship you should not be in. Your ex may call, and temptation may know on your door, but don’t answer. Sin is never satisfied, and it will never be worth it. You don’t know what you could be potentially allowing into your life through one moment of weakness. Continue to wait on God and honor Him with your life and with your body. You will never regret honoring Him.
To those that have gone through a broken engagement: My heart goes out to you. Know that God is with you, He sees, and He knows exactly how you feel. He sees your tears and the pain you may be feeling this holiday. It’s ok to cry, it’s ok to grieve and mourn the loss of what could have been. Regardless of the reason your engagement ended, the grieving process is necessary for your healing. So, take this time to really HEAL – don’t hide or cover up how you feel. Go before God and pour out every emotion you feel (anger, betrayal, embarrassment, unworthiness, shame, etc.). You can be raw and real with Him. Give Him the broken pieces of your heart so He can make you whole.
Don’t try to walk into a new relationship if you have not healed from the last. Learn from your last relationship so you won’t make the same mistakes in the future. And rejoice in the fact that God closed a door that was most likely not good for you, you will never know what God spared you from by allowing that engagement to end. At the right time, God will bring the person He has for you. And when He does it, it will be so sweet that it will overshadow the years of waiting and the heartache you had to face in the process. Rest in Him.
To those who are married but unhappy in their marriage: I sympathize with you. I encourage you to use this day to take inventory of your marriage. Ask God to show you what the issues are, then ask Him for divine strategies and solutions to resolving those issues. If you can speak with your spouse, be very honest with them about how you feel and together begin to actively work on improving your marriage. This may require going on a fast and praying together, it may require counseling or therapy, but whatever needs to be done, do it. It’s one thing to see a problem in your marriage, it’s another thing for both of you (or one of you) to actively seek God for a solution.
If you are in a marriage where your spouse is not willing to change or put in the work to see change, I still encourage you to fast, pray, and seek God concerning your marriage. As you pray, God will show you what to do. It may require a lot of humility on your part but obey God. Don’t give into comparison this holiday. The enemy would love you to look around and compare your spouse to other people’s spouses. Truth is, you don’t know what’s going on in other people’s marriages behind closed and you don’t know who people really are until you marry them or live with them. Comparison is a trap, and if you surrender to it, it can lead to things like adultery or adulterous thoughts. Focus on your own marriage. Sow good seeds into the field that you desire to yield a good harvest.
To those who are (newly) divorced: Your broken marriage does not define you nor does it determine your worth, don’t allow it to dictate how you feel today. Don’t compare your failed marriage with other marriages around you, and don’t hold on to any guilt or shame because it ended. Let go of the past. If you are having a hard time letting go, take this day to lay before God in prayer and ask Him to help you release it, release your ex, and forgive yourself if necessary. It’s painful, yes, the pain stings, yes, but there is a Balm in Gilead who is ready to take your pain away. You don’t have to keep rehearsing in your mind what went wrong and what you could have/should have done differently. You don’t have to keep thinking about what could have been. Let it go so God can heal you and He can usher you into the new.
Some of you may miss having a significant other to be with on this holiday, but I encourage you to pour out those emotions before God in the secret place. When you pour out those raw emotions before Him, that’s when healing can begin.
To the grieving widow: I can’t begin to imagine the pain of losing a spouse, just the thought of it hurts so I’m sure the reality of it is much more painful. I pray that God wraps His arms around you during this time. I pray that He give you His peace and that you will be comforted by memories of the precious time you had with your spouse. You too are seen, you are loved, and you are not forgotten. Thank God for and celebrate the years you had with your spouse and the love that you shared. And when you miss their embrace, remember that The Father will be there to embrace you with His never-ending love.
Dear reader, no matter your relationship status this Valentine’s holiday, do not allow a man-made holiday to control your emotions. YOU ARE LOVED and you are known by the Almighty God. When those feelings of loneliness try to creep in, remember that although you may feel lonely, you are not alone. God is with you and He loves you more than any significant other ever could. I encourage you to spend this holiday basking in the unending, unfailing, and unconditional love of The Father. Also, use this holiday as an opportunity to show others the love of God. Like you, there is someone that needs to be reminded of this greater Love.
For those of you that desire a spouse, continue to wait on God and honor Him with your life and with your body not just so He can bless you with a spouse, but simply because you love Him, and you want to please Him. Your obedience to God will always be worth it. Obey God simply for God. No matter how many years pass or how painful the wait may be, do it for HIM; He is worthy of your obedience. There is something beautiful that happens when we choose to hold on to God and honor His word in the midst of your pain and unfulfilled desires.
Don’t look around with envy or jealousy at those who are married or in a relationship, don’t think of yourself as less fortunate, less valuable, or less loved because you don’t have anyone on this holiday, and don’t give into thoughts of depression. You are not a failure and your life is not a failure. I challenge you to rejoice with others, your time will come, and when it does, you will be able to encourage those in your shoes today. Your times and your seasons are in God’s hands.
I encourage you to spend this Valentine’s weekend celebrating your love for yourself and your family and friends. Most importantly, celebrate the Lover of your soul, His love goes far beyond a day on the calendar and can be celebrated all year round.
I pray that this blog post lets you know that you are thought of and people are praying for you – I am praying for you. Kindly pray with me for others who are feeling down in their spirit on this holiday. Also, kindly share this blog post with those that you know are having a difficult time on this holiday, let them know that you are thinking of them, but most importantly that God is thinking of them.
Here are a few Bible Verses for you to meditate on this season:
- Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. – Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV)
- Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails… – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)
- Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation]. – Isaiah 41:10 (AMP)
- My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! – Psalm 139: 15-17 (NIV) [*When you get a chance read the entire chapter]
- Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
- Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
- Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? – Matthew 6:25-26 (NKJV)
- For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)
- Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. – Song of Solomon 8:4 (NIV)
- He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:29-31 (NKJV)
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ANNOUNCEMENT:
Heart of Worship Blog is now Heart of Worship Ministry! – Around the end of last year, God led me to transition this blog into a full ministry geared towards women. I have since created a Facebook group where women can come together to fellowship, grow in God, and encourage one another. We meet every Thursday at 8 pm EST for Bible Study, Prayer, and/or Teaching and fellowship. We meet in the Facebook group (except for the third Thursday of the month). Here is what our monthly schedule consists of for now:
- 1st Thursdays: Bible Study
- 2nd Thursdays: Prayer Night
- 3rd Thursdays: Monthly Teaching (on Zoom – open to all)
- 4th Thursdays: Bible Study
- *5th Thursdays: Prayer Night or Testimonies or Topic Discussion (as God leads)
If you are a woman and desire godly fellowship, teaching, and accountability, you are welcome to join us! Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3736393556391573
Joanropjr@gmail.com
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