God’s Providence Will Prevent You from Missing Your Person

If you are a Christian single person and you are worrying that you might miss the person God has for you, what does the Bible say about this?

To answer this question, and any other question about missing God’s will for your life, it’s crucial that you know about God’s providence. This doctrine will bring much peace to you.

Sovereignty is the word we use to describe God’s power and right to do whatever he wants to do. The Bible says God either causes or allows everything that happens in the universe (Psalm 135:6). Everything is under his control (Daniel 4:35).

The word “providence” however, adds a much-needed element to really understand God. Not only does God do whatever he wants, but he also always has a purpose for whatever he does (Proverbs 19:21, Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28). This is what “God’s providence” is describing.

Sovereignty is God’s power at work. Providence is God’s purpose at work. Thus, providence is God’s purposeful sovereignty.

So if you are a Christian and you are worried about missing the person God wants you to marry one day, here are 4 reasons you should trust his providence to accomplish his will for you.

1. You Won’t Miss Your Person Because God Is Outside of Time and Space and Thus Has Abilities that Are Beyond Our Comprehension

God is outside of time and space. Thus, his power to accomplish his plan is also outside of time and space. We, however, are bound by time and space. Thus, we must humbly admit that we won’t be able to fully comprehend how God will bring about his sovereign will. Rather, we must start with submission and faith. We must believe this truth because it’s in the Bible. It’s true even if we can’t comprehend it. This is really the point of Isaiah 55:8-9, which states:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

We tend to think of this passage to mean that God’s thoughts and plans are better than our thoughts and plans. And it does mean that. However, it also means something more. Notice the analogy used. It says “as the heavens are higher than the earth.” This is comparing a higher dimension to a lower dimension. It then states, “so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” It’s not just that God has better thoughts and plans. It’s also true that God’s thoughts and plans are so much greater because he sees the full picture in a way that we cannot. Isaiah 43:9-11 explains:

. . . for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’ . . . I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”

God is the Creator and we are the created; so we shouldn’t expect to be able to comprehend all of his greatness. But we can trust him, for his ways and thoughts truly are higher than ours.

2. You Won’t Miss Your Person Because God’s Providence Accomplishes His Plan Through Your Choices

I know what many of you are asking, “Mark, aren’t you just saying that we are robots? That our choices don’t matter? If God predestined everything that happens, what’s the point of trying anything anyways? Isn’t his will going to occur regardless of what I do?”

It’s difficult for us understand how God can be sovereign while we can also be free to make real choices that matter. But the Bible clearly says both. God is sovereign (Psalm 115:3). His plan will occur for his purposes (Jeremiah 29:11). And we are free, given the right to make both good or bad choices that cause both good and bad things in our lives (Galatians 6:7-9).

Thus, rather than saying God can be sovereign or we can be free, we can say that God is sovereign and we are free. God is so powerful that he brings about his predetermined will through our free choices (Acts 2:23).

It’s wrong to then say, “Well, I can just do nothing and God still won’t let me miss my person.” I would say if you do nothing, it’s likely you don’t have person. You won’t miss God’s will. God will just will that you reap what you sow. If you’re making choices that promote isolation or ungodly relationships, this is probably what will keep occurring for you (Galatians 6:7).

Rather than an ungodly passivity where you forsake taking personal responsibility for your actions, you should say something like, “Because I trust God’s providence, I know my good intentions and actions taken in faith will be used by God to accomplish the exact purposes he has planned for me.”

And to be clear, I’m not saying that everyone who is single is just doing something wrong and God is waiting for them to get their act together. God has planned for some of you to be single. Rather, my point is that if God has providentially planned for you to be married, that plan will include you making biblical choices.

Notice how this played out for Ruth and Boaz. Ruth didn’t sit at home and expect God to magically bless her with a godly husband. Rather, she was doing good things for the Lord and in the midst of her righteous choices God directed her steps to Boaz. Ruth 2:3 explains, “So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.”

It says she “just so happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.” Cleary this is a play on words to show that God’s providence was at work.

3. You Won’t Miss Your Person Because God’s Providence Produces the Exact Right Timing

In the ESV, Galatians 4:4 states, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son . . .” This is a beautiful verse that reminds us Jesus coming to save us from our sins. However, I want to focus on that first line, “when the fullness of time had come.” In the NIV, that phrase is translated as “when the set time had fully come.” In the NLT, it says, “when the right time came.”

Psalm 31:15 states, “My times are in your hand.” In the NLT, it reads, “My future is in your hands.”

If you are single and you are worried about missing the person God wants you to marry, remember the biblical truth that God is sovereign over the timing. Your future is in his hands.

4. You Won’t Miss Your Person Because God’s Grace Is the Cause of God’s Providence

The questions that arise with God’s sovereignty and man’s free will are similar to the questions that arise when we consider God’s grace and human obedience. Does God’s endless grace mean we can endlessly sin without repercussions? No! But does the need for human obedience nullify the truth that we are saved by grace alone? No!

Paul addressed these questions in Romans 5:20 through Romans 6:1-4. He said where sin increased, God’s grace increased all the more. And rather than this be an excuse to sin more and more, this is exactly the reason we can sin less and less. Because his grace is endless, I can always repent and keep growing with the Lord no matter what!

Thus, when we apply all of this to our topic about not missing God’s plan for your future marriage, we can take comfort in the fact that we will not need to be perfect to experience God’s plan. Rather, because God has a plan that he will accomplish, this will empower us to keep making good choices even when we aren’t ever going to be perfect.

God’s plan for your future marriage is not like a treasure map where if you take one wrong turn, you won’t ever find the treasure. Rather, God is powerful enough to take our imperfections and accomplish his will.

Our choices still matter! You can’t live in sin and expect God to magically bless you with a godly marriage. But none of us our perfect. We all need his grace. When you repent of sin and do your best to obey his commandments, the Lord calls us to leave the rest to him (Matthew 6:33).