Ephesians 6:18
When you are single and having feelings for someone, there does come a time where God will lead you to stop praying about someone and move forward one way or the other. God will either lead you two to be together or God will lead you to move on if this relationship is not going to happen. God does not want you praying endlessly about something that goes against his will for your life.
But there is also this “in-between phase” of the relationship process where the future is uncertain to you. There are times where God won’t tell you yes or no about someone but rather he will be leading you to just keep praying about this person for the time being.
So here are 4 common signs that often mean God is telling you to just keep praying about someone.
1. If You Have Strong Feelings for Someone but You Don’t Have a Strong Conviction About What You Should Do with These Feelings, This Is a Sign God Is Telling You to Just Keep Praying
Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.” The heart is complex. We will often have strong feelings and desires while also lacking a strong conviction of what we should do about these strong feelings. This is especially true when it comes to relationships. But through prayer, God will “draw out” the deep things within you.
When you have strong emotions but you don’t know what to do with them, this is a call to prayer. In 2 Chronicles 20, Judah was under attack. The people had strong emotions but they didn’t know what to do. 2 Chronicles 20:3-4, 12 states:
Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord . . . ‘We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’”
God delivered them and showed them what to do. Likewise, if you have strong feelings for someone but you don’t know what you are supposed to do with these feelings, the first thing God is calling you to do is pray. Through prayer the Lord will bring clarity and give you a conviction about what you should do or not do.
2. If You Really Like Someone but You Know Now Is Not the Right Time to Make a Move, This Is a Good Sign God Wants You to Just Keep Praying About This Person
Every relationship is a living and breathing thing. It’s not a static, lifeless object that will always remain the same. Because relationships involve two human hearts that are wounded, getting healed by God, and constantly growing, we have to submit to God’s timing and leading.
There will be relationship situations where you really like someone but you also clearly know now is not the right time for you to make any moves to make this relationship happen. When you find yourself in this place where there is not much to do about the feelings you have, this is a clear sign God is calling you to just keep praying.
In time, God will show you what to do and when to do it if you are prayerfully walking with him. As Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”
3. If You Have Made a Move but Now It’s Up to This Other Person to Decide What Will Happen Next, This Is a Sign God Wants You to Just Keep Praying About This Person
Perhaps the main reason relationships can be so confusing is because they involve two people. I know that sounds like such an obvious point it doesn’t seem like something I should even mention. But we all live with ourselves all day. We are always in our own heads. All we really know is how we feel about someone, and sometimes even that is unclear.
So when you add another person who is separate from you into a relationship equation involving you, it’s no surprise that this is when things really get complicated. One reason our confusion can build to an almost unbearable level is because we are holding other people’s hearts to the timelines we have created in our own heads. The world around you rarely obeys the desires inside of you.
Eventually you have to make a move. If you are a woman, you have to somehow send the signal that you are open and interested in this man. If you are a man, you eventually need to just go for it and ask her out. But once you do make some kind of step forward towards this person, it will then be time to wait and see what this other person will do in response to your actions. If they don’t respond well and their response never changes, it means it’s not meant to be. If they do respond well, it probably means God wants you to keep taking steps forward.
But there will be a period of time where you made a move and then you will need to wait and see what this other person will do. Don’t rush it. Don’t keep making move after move without letting this other person respond first. Rather, spend time in prayer, asking God to make his will clear to you both.
No matter what happens, seek to maintain an attitude of gratitude towards God. As Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
4. If You Know What God Is Saying but You Lack the Strength to Obey Him, This Is a Sign God Wants You to Pray
You may feel weak, but God has called you to be strong. But what can you do about this? How can you be strong if you feel weak? One of the keys is prayer.
In Ephesians 6:10, before we are told to put on the full armor of God, it says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” We are not told to just be strong. We are told to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” How do we do this? By prayerfully remaining in his presence. Going down to Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) it says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
If you know what God is saying to do but you lack the strength to do it, this is a sign God is calling you to pray. If God is telling you to let someone go but you just can’t, pray that God will give you the strength. He will empower you to accomplish his will for you. If you sense God telling you to take a risk and pursue a relationship with someone but you are frozen in fear – pray. God will give you the courage to take the risks needed whenever you choose to love someone.
As Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”