Contributed byFaith Jackson

Many times I hear young women wondering how they will know who “Mr. Right” is.  How will they recognize him?  I’ve been asked how I knew my husband was the one for me.  It was easy.  I knew on our second date.  For sure.  No doubts at all.  How did I know?  I had prayed for him eleven years earlier.

When I was sixteen, I was allowed to begin dating and realized that I was starting the process of looking for the man I would eventually marry.  I started praying for my future husband, knowing that if I were to get married, my husband would need to be the spiritual leader of our home.  So I prayed that God would bring my future husband, whoever he was and wherever he lived, to a saving knowledge of His Son.  I also asked the Lord specifically for my future husband to be protected from the temptation of premarital sex, drugs, alcohol, or pornography.  I prayed that he would grow in knowledge of Scripture and to be mature.

Then, when I was 27 years old, I moved halfway across the country. I met a great guy who was funny and fun to be with, and on our second date I knew he was the man God had chosen to be my husband.  How could I be so sure?  Because when we shared our testimonies with each other, he related a life that was remarkably similar to my prayer requests.  He had become a Christian when he was 16 years old, and had lived the life I had prayed for my future husband to live!

So, that time, it was easy, but does God always speak to me that way?  No, of course not.  Since then, God has spoken to me many times through my husband’s leadership.  Most often, God speaks to me through His Word.  I have to be disciplined enough to spend the time reading and studying the Bible to hear God’s will for me. God also speaks to me through the wise words of other people given to me in the times I need them.  But, I have to be smart enough and teachable enough to listen to them.

God speaks to me through my boss, who has been softening my rough edges.  He speaks to me through the words of my friends, the encouragement of my grown children, the love of my husband, and the unconditional acceptance of my daughter’s friendship. God speaks to me through the forgiveness and grace of my family.  God speaks to me through the creativity and beauty of nature around me.  God speaks to me through the tragedies in my life and the tragedy I see in the world around me.  He reminds me to be thankful for what I have.

So, if we want to know God’s will for our lives, we have to learn to recognize His voice and listen.