If you are not a young adult anymore but you still want to be married, will God let this happen for you? If you are younger still, will God let you get married young or will you have to wait for many more years?
Only God knows the true answers to these types of questions. However, there are examples in Scripture of people who had desires that were normally fulfilled in one’s youth but who had to wait later in life to experience those blessings. One such example is Zechariah and Elizabeth with the birth of John the Baptist.
They were barren even though they wanted a baby, and the principles we see in Luke 1 regarding their journey can certainly be applied to Christians who want to get married but who will need to wait until they are older because that is God’s will for them.
Therefore, here are 4 things that often happen when it is God’s plan to let you get married later in life.
And on a quick sidenote, if you’re someone who has been thinking about enrolling in my relationship training courses at AGW University, I wanted to let you know that now is the perfect time.
I’m currently offering a big scholarship, a bunch of bonuses, and one-on-one email coaching with me. There’s also a 14-day money back guarantee for anyone not fully satisfied with their experience, no questions asked.
These courses are for any Christian single person of any age. The only requirement is that you want to be married one day. So if you want to try something different so you can get different results when it comes to relationships, you may really benefit from this unique opportunity.
Spots are limited and the deadline to enroll is August 30th. Click here to learn more and to visit AGW University!
1. When God Is Planning for You to Get Married Later in Life, Oftentimes This Occurs in the Lives of Christians Who Are Living Very Faithfully to Him
Luke 1:6-7, “And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.”
There is a natural tendency for Christian singles to assume that they must be doing something wrong if they are still single for longer than they expected even though they wanted to be married by now.
And, to be fair, this is possible. Scripture is clear that sin does cause bad consequences (Galatians 6:7-9). I never want to be one of those guys who are just telling people what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). If you’re sleeping around in your youth, if you’re wasting years by dating people you will never marry, or if you are running from God in some other way, it’s very possible you may never get married to a godly spouse.
However, Scripture is also very clear that God is exceedingly gracious. Everything good comes from him and is by grace. Thus, even if you have lived in rebellion against him for decades, he can certainly still allow you to get married to a godly spouse in his timing.
With all that said, as we see in the lives of Zechariah and Elizabeth, many times people are righteous and seeking to please the Lord and God still plans for them to experience a blessing later in life that they wanted when they were younger.
Remember, Scripture states that Zechariah and Elizabeth were both righteous and obedient to God but they were still barren. It seems, in fact, that God chose them to be barren not because they were rebelling but because they were faithful. He wanted to bless them with a baby later in life to bring himself more glory. Many people were brought closer to God because of what happened to them later in life (Luke 1:65). If God would have done this for them sooner, the impact and glory would have been less. He had a unique and special plan for them.
It’s also possible that God chooses you to get married later in life not because you are living sinfully but because you are living obediently (Job 1:8). Perhaps he has chosen you to walk a more difficult path, needing to wait longer than normal for the relationship blessing, because he’s given you the grace to walk this path faithfully, which will bring more glory to him once the blessing is given.
2. When God Is Planning for You to Get Married Later in Life, Oftentimes This Occurs in the Lives of Christians Who Have Holy Motives for Marriage
Luke 1:24-25, “After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ‘Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.’”
At that time period, it was common to see childbirth as God’s blessing on a woman and barrenness as God’s displeasure with a woman. Thus, culturally, Elizabeth had to endure a lot.
Sure, many people had a mature biblical understanding, knowing that Elizabeth’s barrenness was not a sure sign of God’s displeasure. But less mature people around her probably judged her, they probably told her to pray more, they probably told her to repent of the hidden sin they assumed she had, and they probably made little comments that unknowingly revealed their hidden pride since they had children and she didn’t.
If you are a Christian single person who is surrounded by married people, I’m sure you can relate to Elizabeth’s experience. Sure, some Christians understand that singleness is a gift too (1 Corinthians 7:7). Some Christians know that someone who is single who wants to be married isn’t necessarily doing something wrong. There are many Christians who know that God has a unique plan for each person.
However, there are many immature Christians too when it comes to viewing singleness and marriage. Perhaps you have a friend who believes she’s suddenly a relationship expert because she’s newly married. Or perhaps your own parents are always telling you what you need to do to meet someone. Or perhaps you church does a yearly marriage sermon series but has never talked about singleness from the pulpit even once.
The temptation in situations like this will be to want marriage for social reasons, to be able to prove everyone wrong, to show people that you are worthy of love too. Don’t let other people’s immaturity tempt you into having a bad motive for marriage (James 4:3).
Notice that when Elizabeth became pregnant, she didn’t run into town and show all the women her baby bump. She didn’t write a long post on social media lathered in false humility. She didn’t knock on all the doors of those people who judged her over the years to show them that they were wrong.
No, she glorified the Lord. She probably hid herself so she could focus her gratitude on God, which is exactly where it belonged. You don’t need to defend yourself against people. Like Elizabeth, one way or another, God will “take away [your] reproach among people” (Luke 1:25) in his timing.
3. When God Is Planning for You to Get Married Later in Life, Oftentimes This Occurs in the Lives of Christians Who Believe that Nothing Is Impossible with God
Luke 1:36-37, [the angel said to Mary], “And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Elizabeth had to wait many years to have a baby. Mary, however, was extremely young. God was working in both of their lives. Their stories were just different. What linked Mary and Elizabeth was their common belief that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37, 45).
Likewise, even if you are getting older, if you want to glorify God in marriage one day, don’t lose the faith that God is able. You may think this is impossible because it hasn’t happened for you yet, but as the Scriptures state, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
4. When God Is Planning for You to Get Married Later in Life, Oftentimes This Occurs in the Lives of Christians Who Are Willing to Wait Faithfully
Luke 1:20, [the angel said to Zechariah, “And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
It’s very interesting to compare and contrast Zechariah’s (Elizabeth’s husband) response to Mary’s response. They both had very similar questions about these supernatural births that the angel was telling them about. Luke 1:18 states, “And Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.’” The angel expressed displeasure with this response and he struck Zechariah with muteness (Luke 1:20).
However, notice that Mary had a very similar question as Zechariah. Luke 1:34, “And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’” Just like Zechariah, she asked “how” and highlighted the barrier blocking this blessing. And yet, the angel was not displeased with her question. Why the difference?
The questions weren’t the problem. The doubt was the difference. It seems the heart behind the questions were different. Zechariah seemed to be asking his question in distrust and fear. Mary, however, seemed to be asking her questions in wonder and amazement. For after the angel answered her, in Luke 1:38 she said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And in Luke 1:45, Elizabeth said to Mary, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Thus, even if there are many practical questions filling your mind about how God will bring the right person into your life, wait faithfully. As Luke 1:20 explains, the Lord’s plans “will be fulfilled in their time.”
And as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, if you’re someone who’s been curious about my relationship training courses at AGW University, now is the perfect time to give it a try.
These courses are for any Christian single person who wants biblical principles to help them glorify God in a relationship one day. And remember, there’s a 14-day money back guarantee if you’re not 100% happy with your experience, no questions asked.
For more information about the scholarship, bonuses, and email coaching, click here before the spots are filled and before the August 30th deadline.
