{{item.title | uppercase}}

{{item.authdes}}

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)

My sweet then-two-year-old looked up at my wedding picture above my bed.

“I think you should get married again, Mom.”

“Oh? Why is that, buddy?”

“Then I could have another dad!”

Yep, the question I knew I would have to face. It’s a doozie!

My answer?

“Well, buddy, you know God’s got it, and if we need to have another man in our lives, He will provide him. Otherwise, we will be fine the way we are.”

“OK, Mom.”

Whew! Crisis averted, at least for the time being.

My sweet youngest seemed to think I could just go to the local market and pick out a new husband and father. The process, and all the decisions surrounding it, is infinitely more complicated than his brain could handle. Some days, it’s more than I can handle.

It’s all a matter of timing, isn’t it?

But I believed what I said to my sweet little boy about God’s answer, and I still continue to believe it.

After all, He is in the perfect timing business.

And no timing was more perfect than when He sent His Son.

I cannot imagine the intervening years between the Old and New Testament—what it would have been like to not hear from God for four hundred years!

And then an angel comes to Zechariah, foretelling the birth of John, the beginning of the salvation promised long ago. Zechariah’s response?

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
Luke 1:18 (NIV)

I would have been right there with Zechariah, I think. God had not spoken in so long and now He sends an angel to say an old man and an old woman would have a baby? Pretty amazing stuff.

But that was just the beginning. God did have it under control, and the Plan was perfect.

Sisters, I do not compare my nearly seven years of singleness since losing Keith with the birth of our Lord, but I do sometimes feel like I am waiting for an answer for four hundred years! Not a yes, not a no, just an answer! Truly, I am not even sure if I want to marry again…and I still firmly believe God will bring us what we need when we need it.

Just like He did with a baby to an old couple…and a baby in a manger.

He keeps His promises. Always.

I pray that we can all remember that as we wait for His perfect timing.

Dear Father, sometimes I don’t understand why things have happened the way they have. Sometimes I am lonely. But, regardless of how I feel, I know You are God and You have me in the palm of Your hand. I will trust in You to complete Your plan in me, just as You have for all eternity. Thank You for holding ALL of us in the palm of Your hand! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.