Faithful - Jeff and Alyssa

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Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

                                                                                                                                   ~Psalm 107:1

I was going through my journals a few months ago & came across this poem I wrote when I was 17 years old. It caught my eye because, unlike my husband, I NEVER write poems. I can’t rhyme worth a lick! (Let’s just say that the poetry section sophomore year in my English class was the t-o-u-g-h-e-s-t part of English during my entire education. I can rhyme “cat, bat, sat, mat” but that’s about it.) Nevertheless, I must have had a lot of emotion running through me that night.

 April 29, 2005

“Praying, hoping, waiting

for one to open his eyes

and see her

the invisible one

who no one dares to

pursue.

She waits

And prays,

“God, when?”

He whispers,

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord”

Psalm 27:14

See, I didn’t date anyone until Jeff, when I was 22. Throughout high school and college I had really hard seasons when I thought I couldn’t wait one moment longer. I never got asked out on a date. I had friends, great friends, but no one that pursued me. Looking back now, I’m so thankful for how God orchestrated my dating life. However during it, I definitely had moments of despair.

But I’m hear to tell you that our God is F-A-I-T-H-F-U-L.

He sees you.

He knows you.

He is present.

And He is at work in your life, working all things together in His perfect plan.

Psalm 107:1 says “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!” Then it goes on to say “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”. I am  here to “say so!” His love does endure forever; His love never ends.

I was brought to tears when I read this journal entry because exactly 7 years later, on April 29, 2012 Jeff asked me to marry him, if he could love and serve me for the rest of my life. God gave him the “nod”, as my dad always said, and Jeff pursued me. I wrote in my journal the day after,

April 30, 2012

“Lord, you know my heart and all the years I’ve longed to be married, all the hours I’ve spent praying for my future husband- You’ve seen me. You know me. You walk with me. And now it’s in the light- known. You’ve blessed Jeff in my life, and in Your beautiful and perfect way You’ve brought us together. You’ve written our love story and it’s absolutely beautiful. God, I feel like You made Jeff for me- when You created him, You had me in mind.”

It is so good to wait on the Lord.

For His timing.

His leading.

He writes the best love stories.

So rest in Him. He’s got it. Let him write your story, in His time, in His way. It’ll be way beyond your wildest dreams.

BUT. BELOVED. There is even GREATER news than resting in the love story He may have for you one day.

He’s already written the greatest love story of all. And you’re apart of it. 

He chose you. He came for you. He wants you. He died on the cross, rose again, so He could have you, and marry you. He is our true Husband.

Isaiah 54:5 AMP
“For your Maker is your Husband—the Lord of hosts is His name—and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.”

If you’re in Christ, you already have the greatest and most beautiful, and fulfilling, love story, EVER.

Run to your Savior- your Husband. And rejoice in His great, and never ending love, for YOU.

Our relationship with Jesus is forever. As wonderful as marriage is, it’s only a glimpse of our eternal relationship with our Savior.

 

Can you relate to my poem? What is God teaching you in your waiting? How has God shown you that He is indeed faithful?  

Why is the truth that God is our Husband such good news?

 

Here is the book that helped me the most in these times

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges