A Letter to Your Future Husband

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Recently, I was talking with a friend about her frustrations with having to wait for Mr. Right.

After our conversation, she asked me to send her some Biblical resources to help "keep her on track." In the process of gathering that information, I came across this beautiful prayer by this lady. Her name is Jenny Williams and she has a blog called, "A Modern Day Ruth". On it, she's written this awesome prayer for (and in anticipation of) her future husband. 

“Dear Future Boaz, I’m praying for you tonight. If you are tired, weary…I pray His Spirit refreshes you. If you have spilled out all you have; feeling disheartened and discouraged…I pray the joy of the Lord gives you strength. If you have been hurt too….I pray you realize there is still true, sincere love to be found. I pray this message finds you. You are not alone, beloved. I pray someday you see me from across the field & you find me. You Future Ruth.”

Beautiful, right?

By the way, if you have no idea who or what a Boaz is, (and never read the Old Testament book of Ruth.) Here’s a quick summary of the story to catch you up. The (NEW-SHEGZ-INTERNATIONAL-VERSION)

• Elimelech and his wife Naomi had two sons, Mahlon and Kilion.
• Their nation, Israel, run out of food and Elimelech moves his family to Moab to find food.
• Elimelech dies in Moab and both sons mary Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.
• Ten years later, Mahlon and Kilion die. (Bummer!)
• Naomi receives news that there’s food back in Israel. (Yay!)
• Ruth offers and chooses to move back to Israel with Naomi and becomes a follower of God. (GO Ruth!)
• On Monday, Ruth goes food shopping in a field owned by a wealthy businessman named Boaz. (Think Costco)
• Boaz sees Ruth from a distance, inquires about her and is impressed with what he hears. (As in, the dude's starting to fall for her)
• He offers her an extraordinary discount on produce in his Grocery farm. (Cos that's how you drop hints to a girl that you dig her)
• Ruth goes home with multiple shopping carts filled with Grocery and tells Naomi what happened.
• Naomi catches on to what’s really happening and begins to play JewishPeopleMeet.com with both of them.
• Ruth goes back to work on Thursday and drops plenty of hints that she’s interested in Boaz. (..because you have to let a guy know, it's okay to pursue.)
• Boaz is attracted to Ruth and pre-proposes to her.
• Boaz follows up his pre-proposal by getting permission from extended family to marry Ruth. They all agree.
• Boaz comes back to Ruth and they marry. 
• They have a child and Naomi is ecstatic.
• The son is named Obed, and he becomes the great, great, great… granpa of a mighty king named David.

Now that's a True-Love-Waits Love story.

I've had the privilege of serving in young adult ministry for a little over a decade, and I can attest to the fact that somewhere around 75% of the young adults walking through our doors get married within 5-7 years of their first visit. (I've done more 20something weddings in the last 3 years than I have in all the years of ministry combined). I say that as an encouragement to all the Jennys out there. Come rain or shine, your Boaz will find you!!  (In the mean time, grow in the grace of God into the woman God has called you to be, and into the beautiful gift God is prepping for your future husband.)  

A close friend of mine captured some of this sentiment in an engaging question she recently posted online. She asked, "Why are guys intimidated by a woman's level of spirituality? So men, you're really going to pass up the opportunity to get to know a woman because she may know the Word a little bit more than you? C'mon, I thought ya'll wanted a biblically anchored woman?!? This is open for discussion." 

I was incredibly impressed with the level of engagement this question garnered and the insights shared in the responses. So here's what I would say to my frustrated Christian sisters. If a guy has a genuine crush on you, not the high school butterfly-in-your-belly kind of love, but an intentionality in his affections for you, he will move heaven and earth to make it known. Even if he's shy or intimidated by your spirituality, that dude will start a 40-Day-Fast if that's what it takes to catch up with you in the Lord!

Chances are, if he's turned off, or scared off by your passion for the Lord; then one, he's either not really interested in something serious, or two, he's the WRONG person for you! (in which case, he just did you a favor by being scared off!)

So, fret not ladies. Though your maiden years may seem like a 10-year waiting room, God Himself has said He will guard and keep in perfect peace those whose mind [both in its inclination and character] is stayed on Him because you lean on, trust in, and commit yourself to Him.

So, rest and trust in His provision of your Boaz, and while you do, say a prayer tonight for him. (...then on your wedding day, tell him about this blog and how it motivated you to pray for him :)

→ → TALKBACK: What would your letter to your future spouse say?