Sis. Shannon Shafer
What is God’s will for your life? As children in elementary school, we were all no doubt asked numerous times the age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Our minds raced with the possibilities. An astronaut? Maybe a police officer? A teacher? The question becomes more intense in high school. “What are you going to do with your life?”
At some point, young people who truly love God will begin to look to Him for the answer. They will ask very earnestly, “God, what is Your will for me? What do You want me to do with my life? Should I go to college? Should I pursue the major that I am interested in? Should I take this job?”
The One who created you (and knows you better than anyone else) does have an opinion. Through much prayer and counseling with your ministry, you can learn God’s will about what path you should take. There is one thing, however, that you can know is God’s will for you, and that is marriage.
To the sisters, 1 Timothy 5:14 says “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.”
The definition of the word “will” is “command, direction, divine determination”. The definition of the word “marry” is “to join a man and woman for life”.1 God’s will is for you to be joined in marriage to a man for life. A woman who shuns marriage and reaches the heights of a successful career will never experience the feeling of success and satisfaction that you will when you submit yourself to the will of your Creator.
The world has a very distorted view of marriage. They see it as nothing more than a business agreement, a casual promise that is easily broken, or as something to avoid entirely. As saved young people, you must not let these views affect you. The Word of God portrays marriage as a very beautiful plan that the God of creation ordained for mankind and that is the view that you must have.
Lately, I have been studying the subject of marriage and I came across these words in J.R. Miller’s “The Family”: “Marriage is intended to bring joy. The married life is meant to be the happiest, fullest, purest, richest life. It is God’s own ideal of completeness.”2
Sisters, in all your scheming, planning, and pursuing, don’t forget this one thing: God wants you to get married. You will not regret it!
To the brothers, Proverbs 18:22 says “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.”
The definition of the word “find” is “To obtain by seeking.”1 God is very pleased when you seek out, and marry, a Church of God girl. Genesis 2:18-22, “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam, there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.”
God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone. He needed someone to be beside him as a help, encouragement, and blessing to him; someone to be his best friend. It was not any of the animals that could do this for him, but Eve alone.
John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” When you love God, His desires will be your desires, and your desires will be His.
To those young people who have been waiting for a spouse, and may not see any prospects, rest in His promises. Psalm 84:11, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 37:4-5, “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” †
- Noah Webster, “American Dictionary of the English Language”, 1828
- J.R. Miller, “The Family”, 1882