Marriage is God’s ordained covenant and really can create issues when it comes to when, who or how one settles with a wife or husband. Did I hear from God or I am moved by sentiments? There are some basic things in God’s word that we can hold on to, to direct us as we wait for this great step in life. James 5: 7-8 gives us the analogy of a farmer waiting for a harvest.

How do I wait like a farmer?

Locate a place to farm and decide on the kind of crops to grow: Genesis 24:3-4 “The Lord is the God of heaven and the God of earth. I want you to make a promise to me in his name. I’m living among the people of Canaan. But I want you to promise me that you won’t get a wife for my son from their daughters. Instead, promise me that you will go to my country and to my own relatives. Get a wife for my son Isaac from there.”

• Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance as to the geographical location of your spouse.

Gather the materials for the farm: Faith in God, believe the promises, and stand on the truth of God’s word. Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

• Ask the Lord for grace to believe, truth and hold on to his promises for your marriage.

Remove all the weeds and plough the farm: Stay away from sin, fear, negativity, and self-condemnation. Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

• Ask the Lord for courage and grace to uproot any fear, sin or weed and not to be given into any fear, sin or anything that stands on your way as you wait on the Lord.

Plant the crops: This has to do with your work in the ministry. You do not have to be a pastor or evangelist. John 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

• Pray that the Lord will give you grace to play your part in the work of the ministry while waiting on the Lord.

Routine check-up for weeds and pruning to ensure its growing as expected: John 15 1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

• Pray for the grace to remain connected to the vine so that God Himself will help you.

Wait for the harvest: Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

• Pray that the season for marriage will not pass you by.

• Pray for alertness and spiritual sensitivity during this time so you will not miss your visitation.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

• Pray that only the plan of God for marriage will come to pass and every other plan be destroyed by fire in the name of Jesus Christ

Job 5:12 “He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success.” Let the Lord frustrate every plan standing in the way of the plan of God for marriage.”

2 Samuel 15:31 “And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

• Sometimes we have the Ahithophel’s around who are supposed to support us but they turn out to work with the devil. Pray that God will arise and turn every counsel of Ahithophel (conspirators against the plan of God) to nothing.

Isaiah 44:25 “Who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who confounds the wise and turns their knowledge into nonsense.”

• Pray that every evil prophesy and diviners speaking against your life the Lord will arise and turn their wisdom to nonsense in Jesus name.

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

• Ask the Lord to strengthen you as you wait for His time to bless with a spouse

Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”

• Pray for the fire of God upon anything that has been standing as an obstacle to your breakthrough.

Genesis 8:1 “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.”

• Pray that the Lord will remember you and dry off any troubling waters around you that is holding you bound.

Proverbs 18:22 “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

• Pray that as a woman you are a good thing and your husband must locate you as a wife.

• Pray that the Lord prepares you as a wife

• As a man pray that the Lord prepares you as a husband and grant you the grace to go out and locate you wife.

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

• Ask the Lord to rejoice over you with a blessing of the spouse you have been waiting for.

• Thank the Lord for hearing our cry.

Ennette Heaggans