God loves all His children, but singles have a special place in His heart. If their prayer to get married has not been answered, it is not because God does not hear them. Singles have privileged access to the throne of God!
Sometimes singles believe God has forgotten them. They feel alone, forced to fend for themselves in life. In many churches, the messages are addressed to families, which almost implies that God isn’t interested in singles. But that is not the case at all. Singles have a very special place in God’s heart, and He has committed Himself defend them and care for them. Now where is that written in the Bible?
Our modern society is very different from the one where the Bible was written. In Biblical times, almost everyone got married, with the exception of a few eunuchs that were dedicated to the service of God or the King. Marriages were arranged by parents and were usually political or commercial contracts. By marriage, two families were associated. Very few women died as virgins or were unmarried, even fewer men.
There was one type of single woman: the widow. At that time, women were totally dependent on their husbands regarding finances. Some were the “head of a business”, but this was the exception, not the rule. The women were not “in the workforce”. They stayed home to care for the house and children. If their husbands were dying, they fell into a very precarious state. If the children were grown up, they were forced to take care of their widowed mom. “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” (1 Timothy 5:4 NIV)
But if a widow had no children or her children were too young, she was left to fend for herself. She had to try and glean here or there to survive, or resort to begging. Unless she was a child of God! God has always doted over the widow. “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.” (Exodus 22:22 NIV), the Lord commanded. Psalm 68:5 (NIV) says : “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” When there is no one to take care of someone, God Himself steps in.
Let me say that again. When there is no one to take care of someone, God Himself steps in. If this was the case for the widows of that time, it is also the case for all the singles today. God does not forget singles: on the contrary! He is even more devoted to them because He knows they can count only on Him. “Father of the fatherless, defender of the [singles], is God in his holy dwelling.”
When we are single, especially in the case of single women, there people who want to encourage us by saying: “Your husband is Jesus!” This is rarely seen as an encouragement! I totally agree, even if we are in love with Jesus, it does not replace a husband in the flesh, with his qualities and defects. But there is some truth in that sentence. When a person is single God Himself rises to defend them if they are attacked, to provide for their needs, etc. He will not pass them by if they are not married or have a family. God Himself will take care of them.
He loves singles to that point. He even commanded His people to never neglect them, never put them aside. He holds singles in the palm of His hand like a fragile vase to protect. He knows their sorrows and their joys and He knows how to please them. When a single gives Him all their love, all their attention, and surrenders to Him; can you imagine how it touches the heart of God?
No, God has not abandoned the singles, it is the opposite!