Praying with Rejoicing

This weekend I attended the wedding of two people who waited a very long time to find each other. Neither had been previously married, and the groom is 51 years old.

What great rejoicing there was that day! And there has been great rejoicing for other older single people I know. Last month a wedding took place for a couple in their thirties. Last fall a friend in her late thirties got married, and now she’s expecting a baby. Just this week I saw engagement ring pictures posted on Facebook by a forty-something woman.

In a season where it’s easy to notice what’s not happening for me and many of my friends, I have to stop and praise God for what is happening among us. Older couples are finding one another and becoming families. Their stories—especially that of the 51-year-old man this weekend—remind me that God is still in the business of doing miracles.

Focusing on all that isn’t happening leads to discouragement. But rejoicing in at all that is happening builds faith in God’s will and ability to orchestrate and sustain relationships that glorify Him. Let’s not neglect the Apostle Paul’s command: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4).

As you pray this week, rejoice and give thanks for:

• Christian engagements and marriages taking place in this season
• Healthy relationships and marriages between people in your generation
• God’s provision, faithfulness and blessings in your own life

Note: If you need a little extra hope in the experience of delayed marriage, view my guest blog for today on fast.pray, a website for single women praying and fasting for marriage.