Don’t Wait

God urges patience all throughout the Bible. In fact, the Apostle Paul seemed especially attuned to its importance.

Writing to the Romans, the great evangelizer reflected, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (8:25). Later in his letter he urged, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (12:12).

Christian believers have been waiting for two-thousand years for the return of the Lord.

But lately, even Christians seem to be deliberately waiting to make critical decisions that might well demand action instead.

Back in 1970, the average man in America got married for the first time at the age of 23. For women, it was 21. Jump ahead to 2020, and it was nearly 31 for men and 28 for women.

Delaying marriage is driven by a myriad of factors including career ambition, financial considerations, and, of course, the skyrocketing rate of cohabitation. Tragically, more and more young people don’t see any need to get married at all. To them, it’s burdensome relational bureaucracy – a piece of paper that needlessly locks them in and complicates their life.

But there are plenty of even conservative Christians who simply see marriage as something they think they’ll eventually get to – akin to a bucket list trip to Europe. It’s not that they don’t want to ever get married. It’s just that it’s not a priority.

God calls everyone to walk a unique path, but if there is a nonchalant spirit surrounding the issue, young people might want to reexamine their priorities.

Speaking on a Focus on the Family broadcast, Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary, said:

Marriage is not a lifestyle option. Marriage, unless you were given the gift of celibacy, is not something you should look forward to at some point in your life when you think you’re ready for it and you’ve made partner in the law firm and you have this much in terms of material gain and you think you’ve reached this point of personal maturity.

There is a formula in Scripture that is an expectation and that is, that adulthood equals marriage without the gift of celibacy. Adulthood equals marriage. Obviously, that is not the definition or the formula honored in this society.

Marriage was created by God. If it’s important to Him, it should be important to us. It’s foundational. It’s patterned after His relationship with His bride, the Church.

Of course, men and women should be discerning and choose their mates wisely, but the problem with waiting to get married once you’ve found someone you love is that it’s very possible to wait too long. In time, it might become too late.

When it comes to getting married, don’t wait.

Another area of concern centers on a couple’s decision to wait to try and have children. In 1970, the median age for a first child for a woman was 21. It’s now 27.

Once more, bringing a child into the world is an awesome responsibility and glorious blessing. But it’s not uncommon for many couples to wait for the very same reasons many delay getting married.

Yet, if God has greenlighted you to get married, He’s also greenlighted you to have children.

Sadly, many couples who have waited to try and start a family are discovering that they’ve waited too long. Nearly 1 in 5 women in the United States are experiencing infertility. The older a woman is, the more difficult it becomes to conceive and carry a baby to term.

The Psalmist proclaims, “Behold, children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward” (127:3). Why would you want to turn down a blessing from the Lord?

When it comes to getting married, don’t wait.

When it comes to having children, don’t wait.

Waiting on the Lord is much different than waiting on opportunities that He places before us.

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow let alone next year or ten more.

When it comes to warmly and enthusiastically embracing God’s blessings, don’t wait.