On Sovereignty and Singleness

God is sovereign.

 

I was especially reflective last night. Perhaps it was because I was coming off a thirty-six hour shift at work. Or maybe it was the tragic news of the lives lost in Paris. It could have also been the anticipation of seeing unexpected, lavish grace in the wedding of Nancy Leigh Demoss and Robert Wolgemuth. I’m listening to the live stream of the prelude while I type.

 

It was likely a combination of all of the above.

 

As I sat last night, waiting for the pager to go off and feeling overwhelmed by what the first responders in France were going through – memories that will haunt them for a lifetime – the very nature of my job washed over me afresh.

 

TV portrayals of emergency work make it look thrilling and even glamorous. They leave out the long, grueling hours of waiting for calls, completing reams of paperwork, and dealing with crime, death, and disease. As hard as they try, television cannot capture the assault of smells, sounds, dangers, and commotion at an emergency scene.

 

I never know what waits for me on scene when I get into my ambulance, turn my lights and siren on, and leave the garage. I have to be prepared for a myriad of possibilities and the dynamic nature of a scene.  The unknowns and what ifs can be scary. It’s easy to be anxious.

 

God is sovereign.

 

Many times this truth has quieted my heart while on duty. He knows the calls, the transfers, the patients, the challenges – every part of my shift. He will equip, strengthen, and give grace for whatever lies ahead. This is His promise and He will never fail me. “As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deut. 33:25).

 

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to an all-knowing God.”

 – A. W. Tozer

 

Whether that future be the hours of my next shift, the activities of my next day, or changes of the next year of my life, He knows the plans He has for me. All He asks from me is to trust Him.

 

Is it a job? Is it higher education? Is it both? Is it neither? Will it mean moving? Is marriage a part of God’s plan? If so, when will it be? If not, what then? The questions flood my mind. “In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul” (Psalm 94:19).

 

God is sovereign.

 

He has chosen today for me. His gift to me in this hour is singleness – to pursue “the things of the Lord” (I Corinthians 7:34), to be His minister doing His pleasure (Psalm 103:21).

 

To my single sisters, the Lord has chosen the path you are on for a reason – to form you into His image for His honor and glory. Over this past week, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, now Mrs. Robert Wolgemuth, shared lessons from her years as a single woman. I greatly appreciated her wisdom and words of encouragement (the series is found here). She says, “Whatever your season of life, be intentional about becoming the woman that God made you to be, being conformed to the image of Christ. Listen, some circumstances that you are in presently are exactly the circumstances you need to become more like Jesus.”

 

Our lives are not simply about going through college, getting letters to add behind our name, having a career, or even changing our last name. Our lives are all about conforming to the image of Christ. That’s the primary focus. The Ph.D., vocational path, singleness or marriage are tools the Lord uses in our lives to share His love with others, show His grace to us, and bring glory to His name. And He knows which tools will allow us to glorify Him the most.

 

God is sovereign.

 

Peace, joy, goodness, and love do not come from the what but the Who. I can’t find these in my circumstances no matter how hard I try. We can only find these in a God who is merciful, faithful, loving, patient, infinitely kind, all-powerful, and sovereign. Nancy further writes, “If you let God write the script for your life, it will be good. Joy comes not from writing our own story or having the story go as we would have scripted it. Joy comes from saying, ‘Yes, Lord,’ to whatever story He writes for our lives….He will be your warmth. He will be your protection. He will be your covering. He will be your energy. He will give grace.”

 

There’s a quote on my bulletin board I put up several years ago. It’s one of my favorites, from one of my spiritual mentors. It reminds me that my completeness and fullness are found in Christ, in whom “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

“Hear the call of God to be a woman. Obey that call. Turn your energies to service. Whether your service is to be to a husband and through him and the family and home God gives you to serve the world, or whether you should remain, in the providence of God, single in order to serve the world without the solace of husband, home, and family, you will know the fullness of life, fullness of liberty, and (I know whereof I speak) fullness of joy.”

 – Elisabeth Elliot

 

God knows the path for my life. My part is to trust Him and to run my race well. The future is known to Him, I need not fear what lies ahead. He is working in my waiting, in what He has laid before me today.

 

Christ wants our lives, our hearts, our all. He wants women on fire for Him and His glory. Fulfillment, safety, and joy come from being at the center of His will, trusting Him for the future – a future known to Him.

 

“Lord, help us, help us, help us to be Your women now,

in whatever circumstance, in whatever season You have placed us,

so that we can give You glory, so we can bless, serve, minister grace

to others You put in our lives. All this we pray for Jesus’ sake, amen.”

 – Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth

God is sovereign.