In my dating experiences this past year, I’ve discovered that I want to change my prayer for my future marriage — well, more like simplify it.
While I still have a lot of hopes and dreams for what that relationship might look like, I just simply want to marry my best friend. And within that friendship, I do truly believe there will be many of the things I used to earnestly pray for…understanding, shared creativity, and a desire to learn, grow, dream, and live life fully together.
But I’m no longer complicating my prayers.
In 2014, I’m simply surrendering one very humble and heartfelt prayer: to meet and marry a man who will be my best friend.
I feel a certain freedom in praying that prayer, leaving the other details up to God. I almost feel as though this prayer pushes me to trust more fully, making more space for God to move and less space for me to worry and fret and try to make things happen in my own way and timing.
And that’s a big focus for me in 2014 — making space for God to move. I’ve been learning lately that God doesn’t force us into new seasons or adventures. We open our hearts, and He’s waiting to lead us to new possibilities. And while I do believe that ultimately His Will prevails, I also believe we can partner with Him to follow His path and purpose for us.
And why wouldn’t we want to partner with Him, opening our hearts and hands to receive His best? There have been far too many moments in my own life where I’ve clutched onto broken pieces, rather than releasing them and making space for God to do something new and beautiful.
Do you have any new prayers for 2014? Or prayers you’re praying in a new way? How are you readying your heart for the new year and making space in your life for God to move in mighty ways?
:: image by Max Wanger; Text by me ::
a place to dwell 
Making space for God to move–yes! Yesterday’s Jesus Calling calendar (the ones we got in our Influence Conference swag bags, woot!) hit the nail on the head for me on this: “Take time to be still in My Presence so that I can strengthen you. The busier you become, the more you need this time apart with Me.” What this looks like for me is being more intentional with my devotional time with Jesus in the mornings, something I let go in the last couple of months–how can I hear His guidance and wisdom if I don’t sit quietly still long enough to hear Him?
dating is hard :(
http://www.fashionforlunch.net
I love your heart behind this prayer – and I love the prayer itself! I’ve been married for almost eight years to my best friend, and I wouldn’t trade our marriage for anything. Sometimes the days are long and we lose count of the times we’ve butted heads… but at the end of the day, we are each others’ best friend and simply enjoy being with one another. It makes a difference! And, God takes care of the details in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
I love your prayer Katie, and what a beautiful quiet assurance. God has placed an agenda on my heart too – to hope. It goes along with the verse, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Rom. 12:12. He knows I’ve endured many things and worked hard to trust him through hardship, and I love abiding in prayer throughout the day; but hope has always been dangerous ground, I’m terrified of disappointment. So I admire your step in that direction, and I’ll take it with you!
This is wonderfully written and very true! I look back at the long list I wrote 5 years ago and have to laugh. I have changed do much in what I think I want, which is exactly the reason I want to let God do the picking instead of me. I figure that if I’ll get married one day, he must be walking on the earth right now , which means he’s probably going through his own trials, temptations, and doubts, so my prayers for my husband are in the present tense. I one day want to be a wife who prayers for her husband daily, so I’m practicing by praying for him wherever he may be. I don’t need a name because God already knows who that prayer is for. Maybe one day I’ll hear that certain prayers were answered.
This is beautiful! Making room for God to move is so important. I love the idea of making our prayers simple so that we can trust God to do all the work. I’ve been single for quite sometime so I have a very similar prayer.
Have a blessed New Year and thank you for this!
This is beautiful. I do hope and pray that you will find your best friend soon.
Amen, Jessi! I struggle with the sitting still part myself, and it’s something I definitely want to work on in 2014. I want to really HEAR Him, you know?! :)
@fashionforlunch Aw, yes, it definitely can be. But we can date with hope and intention, trusting He has a good and perfect plan for us. (Saying this for myself, too!!) :) Thanks for reading!
Thank you, Amy! :) Love hearing that you married your best friend and what a difference that makes in your marriage. God is definitely faithful! I’m learning that even though things haven’t happened in the timeframe I had hoped, I can keep praying and trusting Him. Thanks for reading! :)
Thank you, Jessica. You are such a blessing to me! :) I love that God has placed a hopeful agenda on your heart. I know exactly what you mean about disappointment, but I’m blessed to know we can encourage one another in this next year to hope together! I actually took an Influence Network class on hope and disappointment, and I will have to share my notes with you! :)
Thank you, Elena! :) Love your heart!
Thank you, Adrienne! Praying for you in your singleness, too…that God would bless us with hope and confidence in Him. Happy New Year! :)
@leelee, thank you, friend. Your prayers truly mean a lot. :)
it works out in the end….
check out my blog? http://www.fashionforlunch.net
I just discovered your blog (through Pinterest!) and love it. We have a bit in common: we’re both Katies, Christian, and our prayer is the same for this year. I just turned 27 and I know all about taking a desire for a husband to the throne of God. I think your plan sounds perfect and I know God is going to move in this area of your life in ways that both delight and surprise you. One piece of encouragement I have is this: when things aren’t fitting together (you go on a lame date, a guy pretending to be single flirts with you and you find out he’s got a serious girlfriend) remember that God’s first and foremost role is to protect you. He may do that in ways that don’t make sense at the moment, but I’ve usually found that the reason becomes clear down the road, and for that I’m always grateful. Praying right alongside you in 2014 :)
@CreoleWisdom Hi, Katie! Nice to meet you! :) Love that Pinterest connected you to my blog! And thank you so much for that encouragement regarding singleness and dating. That is such a beautiful truth. How lucky we are that we have a God who desires to give us good things and who protects us from the things that are not His best for us. :)