“'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
Have you ever felt alone? Deeply and utterly alone? From high school into early college, I longed to be in a relationship with someone I could call mine. But as the years and birthday candles seemed to pass by, I felt defeated. I knew God had someone special for me, but I was growing weary. At twenty-two years old, I wasn't just single, but I'd never been asked out or gone on a date.
Daily, I found myself asking my mom: "What's wrong with me?" My lack of being in a relationship made me question not just my identity but God's plans for my life. Before I knew it, I was thinking heartbreaking thoughts:
I'm not pretty enough.
I'm not tall enough.
I'm not athletic enough.
I'm not good enough.
I'm going to be alone forever.
Are God's plans for me still good?
As much as my mom, grandma, and best friend told me that Prince Charming would be worth the wait, I couldn't help but question and doubt the process. I knew God's timing would be greater than mine, yet I still grew tired. Can you relate?
One day, my friend Anna pulled me aside after chapel and said these words: "I think God wants you to surrender your singleness." She was right. God had been speaking to me in this season, but was I really listening? Was I truly ready to lay down my desires in exchange for His?
That night, I went to Anna's apartment and laid it all before the Lord. I wept. I complained. I rejoiced. But I told Him that if He wanted me to be single for the rest of my life, I was okay with that. I trusted His plans and timing were better than mine. I let it go. I moved on in pursuit of the things He was calling me to in that season.
Two weeks later, I was preparing for my first mission trip out of the central states. God had given me visions for this trip, and I was confident it was what He wanted me to do. Until I received an email that all the female slots were full and if someone wanted to go with me, it would need to be a male.
I was petrified. But trusting in the Lord's plans, I sent a PSA out on my college campus. Two business and ministry students responded that they were interested. One was a friend from my dance group, the other was a mutual friend of a friend.
As the trip grew closer, I sensed that this mutual friend expressed a romantic interest in me. Of course, I was in denial. I told God, "Absolutely not. This mission trip is for you, and I'm staying focused on you." God has a funny way of timing things in our lives.
After the trip, this mutual friend asked me out. He would become the first and only guy I would ever date. He would also become my husband. Looking back now, I see why it never worked out with anyone else. Why I had to wait. Why all the female slots on the trip were full.
God's thoughts are not my thoughts, nor are His plans my plans. While I've struggled to understand the Lord's ways, I've learned over the years that His ways are always greater than mine. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty. It's easy for me to say these things now that I'm happily married to the love of my life.
But friend, my circumstances weren't always this way. I had to go through the pain and heartbreak. I had to go through the continual surrender and prayer that His will should be done even when I think I want my own. I had to experience the questions, and fears, the tears, and prayers. And I often still do.
And yet, I'm confident that God has a reason for our waiting, our unanswered questions, our confusion, and our chaos. We may not understand it now, but someday we will. He doesn't have us wait unless it's good for us to do so. If it's not good, then He's not done—because the plans He has for His children are always right on time.
Let's pray:
Dear God, I know how hard it can be to wait on you and your timing. From job success to relationships and big life decisions, it can be easy to feel lost, confused, and out of control. In these moments of anxiety and fear, remind us that you are in control. You hold us in the palm of your hands and care about what we're going through. Remind us that your timing isn't a delay but a purposeful waiting for your plans for our lives. Give us the courage to believe in you and carry on. Amen.
Agape, Amber
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/AtarzynaBialasiewicz
Related Resource: Anxiety: Practical Steps for Healing in Christ
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Originally published Wednesday, 05 March 2025.
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