Perry May Britton shares her journey of praying for a husband and the lessons she learned about hope, timing, and trust in God. Her story offers encouragement to anyone waiting on the Lord.
I began praying for my husband when I was 16. When I left school, I was voted ‘most likely to be the first to get married and have kids’. I continued to pray for my husband through my 20s while attending all my friend’s weddings. In my 30’s I prayed as I watched my friends buy houses and have children. I would often feel like shouting out to the Lord: ‘Where is my husband?’
Raye’s wonderful and gloriously feel-good song articulates how I felt:
‘I would like a ring, I would like a ring
I would like a diamond ring on my wedding finger
I would like a big and shiny diamond that I can wave around
And talk, and talk about it’
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When I heard the song it was like an echo in my heart, a memory of the season in my life when the longing would often define me and the pain of waiting was sometimes too much to bear. Raye’s cry echoes that of so many single, Christian women but there are three hard things to do as we intercede for the things long for; whether it’s a husband, a child, healing, a new job or something else.
we should never loose sight of God, our hope should be in him and him alone, not in whatever it is we are praying for.
The first is that in our longing we should never loose sight of God, our hope should be in him and him alone, not in whatever it is we are praying for. When we put all our hope in getting married it can warp us out of shape and we end up being defined by our lack rather than by our riches in Christ. Our hope should be in him and he will never disappoint us.
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Secondly, God’s timing is often very different to ours. Isaiah 60:22 describes it so well: ‘I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.’
My prayer for a husband was not wrong, but my timing was out. When I did get married, I was 41! I had been praying for my husband for 9125 days but our marriage happened very quickly: We started dating on 15th February; we were engaged by 9th July and were married on 2nd October: 229 days. The Lord does things swiftly… but in his time.
And finally, there is something wonderful in Raye’s song when her real grandmother’s voice prophesies ‘Your husband is coming’.
And finally, there is something wonderful in Raye’s song when her real grandmother’s voice prophesies ‘Your husband is coming’. A voice of assurance and the sort of prophesy I would have grabbed onto in my more painful single days. There are examples in the bible of God providing partners for people but there are actually no promises. This is the hardest truth to grapple with in our longings. There are many, many promises that we can claim and hold up to God in our prayers but he did not promise that all of us would be married. In fact, it is clear in the Bible that being single is better for serving God.
The creator of the universe, who knitted you together in your mother’s womb, the God who knows every hair on your head promised to be with you, to never leave you nor forsake you, and that’s good news with or without a husband!
