May 11 Prayer (God’s Longsuffering is Nothing But Good)

Have you ever gotten upset with God while waiting for your promise?

One of my heart’s desires is to be in a loving marriage. I stand on the promise in Psalm 37:4 — take delight in Him, and He will give you your heart’s desires.

Let me say, I’ve been single for much longer than I had planned. At times, I got mad at God for the delay. It was difficult to see friends of mine get re-married; especially those who got divorced AFTER me. I wanted to be happy for them, but I was sad for me.

“God, why are You taking so long to send my husband?”

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
2 Peter 3:9 NLT

Through various situations, God showed me I wasn’t ready to maintain the blessing of a God-centered marriage.

He started by revealing my brokenness to me. My previous two marriages had left my heart and self-esteem shattered. I believed the lie I was damaged goods. God knew having that mindset wouldn’t benefit a marriage. So, He patiently poured His healing love into me.

Next, He tested the reins of my heart when I decided to start dating. Through this process, He showed me my overwhelming feelings of loneliness. My deep desire for companionship caused me to compromise my boundaries and disobey Him.

Then, God highlighted my selfishness when He blessed me with a kitten. After being a single empty-nester for over a year, I became accustomed to things in the house being the way I had left them. The first night I had my bundle of joy, I was jolted awake by a crash! Miss Goldie thought the plate would look better shattered into a million pieces on the floor. How dare she break my plate and wake me up in the process!

I am still in my season of singleness, but now I’m embracing the goodness of God that Peter points out in this verse. God isn’t being slow or lackadaisical about fulfilling His promise. He is being patient and kind to me AND my bridegroom. He is removing wrong beliefs, thoughts, and actions that could end up destroying the covenant relationship He wants us to have.

The context of 2 Peter 3:9 speaks about the return of Jesus and the goodness of God to give all individuals time to repent, accept Christ, and receive the free gift of salvation. However, you can apply the goodness of God and His sovereign timing to all situations.

His thoughts toward me are good. He doesn’t want me to fail at marriage again. He is patient with me as His love heals my heart, penetrates my being, and transforms me into the new creation He has made me be.

Now it’s your turn. What promise in your life does it feel like God is being sluggish to deliver? Ask Him for understanding on why this blessing is not coming to pass. Be bold and ask God to show you where you need to repent to get in alignment with Him. It’s ok, God’s goodness won’t fail!