A Christian young woman became deeply infatuated with a brilliant but Christless young man. An engagement was entered into, but Christian friends were earnestly praying that God would deliver her from an unequal yoke, which they felt would only bring sorrow into her life. It was a delicate matter to discuss with her. In fact, she resented what she called any interference with her private affairs. However, in a short time an estrangement ensued, and the young man himself broke the engagement. Instead of recognizing that this was God’s method of deliverance for her, the young woman was greatly distressed, and prayed day and night that the offended one might return to her and the engagement again be entered into. All the Christian friends could do to occupy her mind and heart with other interests, or to show her that God had acted in mercy toward her, availed nothing. Constantly she grieved, and persistently she prayed that the desire of her heart might be granted. Strikingly enough, he returned to her most unexpectedly, took all the blame of the past upon himself, and asked for a renewal of the engagement. Gladly she entered into this, and shortly afterward they were married.
Years of sorrow and misery have resulted from her disobedience to the Word of God. His deep hatred of Christ and the things of God, camouflaged for a time by a gentlemanly exterior, soon manifested itself, and before long a separation ensued, and she was left in wretchedness and misery with two little children dependent upon her. Deeply has she realized as the years have gone on what it meant to be unequally yoked together with an unbeliever.
The Lord allowed her to have her way. But how sad it is for a child of God to willfully pray for anything which God in His Word has plainly told them not to. What else can one expect in the face of such disobedience but sorrow and misery. God can never bless a union that was deliberately entered into against His Word.
The turning point had come for this young woman when the engagement was broken. God in love was behind this, but instead of recognizing it as such, an insubject will blinded her to pray to her hurt. Nothing at the moment, seems so important as the gratification of our desires, but afterward—Solemn thought!
The fact that we receive what we pray for, does not in every case indicate God’s pleasure in our petitions. Some do mistakably think so, but where we get our petitions granted in direct opposition to His Word, we may know it does not come from the Lord’s hand, because He will never act inconsistently with His Word.
Dear young Christian, let me earnestly warn you, never to enter into anything for which you do not have a “Thus saith the Lord.”
It may be hard for you to lay your will in His, but rest assured the promise given at the close of the above exhortation, is very precious, and will be carried out to the letter,
“I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17, 1817Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:17‑18)).
God is the Father of every one who has put his trust in Jesus, but the force of the expression, “will be a Father unto you,” very blessedly means, He will take a Father’s part toward you. May you desire His approval above everything else in this world.
“For how will recompense His smile
The suff ‘rings of this little while.”