God probably won’t just tell you, “That’s your future spouse” right when you meet “your person” for the first time. However, as you two walk down the relationship paths God will use to draw you to each other, he will be giving you hints along the way that this is indeed the right person to focus on.
Therefore, here are 5 hints God really is drawing your attention towards someone rather than it just being your own desires.
1. When the Relationship Prayer of Your Heart Seems to Be Manifesting Before Your Eyes, This Is Often God Pointing Someone Out to You
Isaac and Rebekah have a powerful love story that contains many useful principles to those of you who are wondering how God will lead you to the right person. To help Isaac marry a godly woman rather than one of the godless women in Canaan, Abraham sent his servant back to Abrahams family to find his son a wife.
As the servant went on this mission, he prayed for specific signs and details to be revealed so he would know who God has appointed to be Isaac’s wife (Genesis 24:12-14). Notice what happens next. In the servant’s own words, it states, “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water” (Genesis 24:45).
While this servant did pray and then God answered this prayer, in God’s sovereignty he also directed this servant to pray for something that God was going to do. Likewise, while you should pray about the desires you have for a spouse, God will also direct your prayers so you pray for the very things he is already planning on giving you.
When you see with your eyes what God lead you to pray for in your heart (1 John 5:14), you will know he is leading you towards the right person.
2. If Their Reputation Proceeds Them, God Could Be Drawing Your Attention to This Person
Before Isaac and Rebekah became a couple, they only heard about each other. As Abraham had told his servant about the godly women in his homeland (Genesis 24:4), surely he also told Isaac about them too. And before Rebekah met Isaac, she only heard about what God had done in his life (Genesis 24:34-41).
In a similar way, when God draws your attention to someone, he will often use other people to confirm this person’s character. Reputations can be misleading. But more often than not, for better or worse, someone usually has a certain reputation for a reason. As Boaz said to Ruth, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me . . .” (Ruth 2:11).
Don’t fall for the man of mystery or for the woman of intrigue. Rather, look for the person who’s godly reputation proceeds them.
Of course this can be applied symbolically as well. You can meet someone you don’t know at all and God could still lead you two together. The real point here is that this person’s character will be known by others. Don’t ignore the biblical principle of finding safety through accepting the wise counsel of other people (Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 12:15)
3. If This Person Is Given the Option to Choose or Reject You but They Choose You, This Is Often a Sign God Is Drawing Your Attention to Them
Even though Rebekah had seemed to be the supernatural answer to his prayers, the servant still didn’t totally know if she was the right woman. Genesis 24:49 states, “Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” The servant knew it wasn’t God if this woman wasn’t willing.
While the story of Rebekah and Isaac is certainly filled with many amazing signs, notice how much personal choice was still involved in the formation of this future union.
First, Abraham told his servant to go find his son a wife and he predicted that God’s angel would go before him to prepare the way (Genesis 24:7). However, Abraham also left room for the possibility of this not happening because he knew the woman would need to be willing (Genesis 24:8).
Additionally, without Abraham even talking to Rebekah’s family, they applied the same test to this situation. They knew if God was in this, the desire would be in Rebekah too, “They said, ‘Let us call the young woman and ask her.’ And they called Rebekah and said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ She said, ‘I will go’” (Genesis 24:57-58).
Just as Isaac’s wife was revealed to him through her acceptance of his pursuit, so too will God draw you to the right person by you making efforts and then seeing how this person responds.
4. If the Relationship Seems Undeniably from God Because of All the Confirmation You See, This Usually Does Mean God Really Is Drawing Your Attention to This Person
Genesis 24:50-51 states, “Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, ‘The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.’”
If it’s still a mystery, you can’t be certain it’s God. One way or the other, when God is revealing the right person to you, he will make this clear to you. As many have said when asked, “How did you know that you should marry that person?” their answer has often been, “You will just know.” It sounds silly until you’ve experienced it yourself. When God reveals the right one to you, there will be a lot of biblical evidence and you will agree with the idea, “You will just know.”
5. If God Will Be Glorified Through Your Relationship with This Person, God Is Pointing This Person Out to You
Whenever God is truly involved, his glory will be at the center. The same is true with relationships. As God led the servant to Isaac’s future wife, he kept praising God (Genesis 24:48, 52).
Likewise, when God is drawing your attention to someone, this relationship will flourish in such a way where God is glorified.
