Being single is not a problem to be solved; it’s not a disease. If it was, Jesus would have been a very sick man! It is simply an indeterminate amount of time during which a single Christian has the opportunity to serve God without limits.
(This article is a summary of the conference from September 27th, 2015. The full conference will be available on our website shortly - in french only.)
God never said that everyone should marry. Marriage is not one of the 10 commandments! The apostle Paul even said that it is better not to marry in 1 Corinthians 7:8. So, being single is not a sin or a disability! Christian singles : you are normal people, complete, blessed and given a particular calling, a personal mission.
But the unmarried people still have a lot of pressure to “settle down”. Whether by family, friends, the interpretation of messages from the church, by society in general and… by their own hormones! All this pressure can sometimes (even often) monopolize the thoughts of single Christians. It comes to distract, to sadden and to worry.
1 Corinthians 7.32 (AMP) says: “My desire is to have you free from all anxiety and distressing care. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord–how he may please the Lord.”
God does not want singleness to be an anxiety, a worry. Because when we are worried, we don’t receive the Word of God, and it becomes unfruitful in our lives like it says in Matthew 13.22. Sickness prevents us from receiving and understanding the Word of God, which is why Jesus healed the sick. Hunger and poverty also prevent us from hearing His voice, which is why Jesus fed the multitudes. Well if being single prevents you from receiving from God, Jesus can also help you be free of this worry.
Jesus doesn’t deliver you from this worry so that you can have a more comfortable life. He wants you to be delivered so that you can receive His Word and grow His Kingdom. Your happiness depends on your relationship with God, not your social status. Jesus wants to deliver you from this constant worry, this preoccupation so that He can remove the barrier that prevents you from getting closer to God.
Being delivered from this worry doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to get married! God has thousands of ways to free our minds of this burden. It could be changing our ideas through His Word, at a conference, or worship in church. You might be relieved of that worry by putting your energy towards improving some less attractive parts of your personality! Participating in Christian activities can also free you from anxiety as you are investing your time in a community service. Let God deliver you from your worry. Your desire of getting married can still be there, but it won’t be a source of worry anymore.
Luke 12.29-31 (NIV) says : “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”