You were created with a need to love and be loved. Everyone desires intimacy. Everyone wants his or her life to be significant. Too often this need is interpreted as a desire to be married and is based on the assumption that another human being will fulfill this desire.

The only source of the need for intimacy is God Himself, Who may meet the need through another person. However, our focus must be on the One Who made us, Who knows us, and Who understands us.

Often it is after many failed relationships or marriages that a person discovers that there is no human being who can fulfill this God-given desire. When an individual becomes absorbed with the idea of marriage, it is easy to cross the line into obsessive-compulsive behavior. This creates a barrier, often driving people away rather than drawing them closer.

This opens the door for distrust, leading to a suspicion that God is withholding good things, when He has promised in His Word not to withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly (Ps. 84:11).

The effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous person avail much (James 5:16). God defined the person whose prayers are answered: a righteous person—a person in right standing with God.

Someone has defined righteousness as "doing it God's way and risking the consequences." So often it seems that there is a fear of living His way. "Doing it God's way" demands trust in the One Who has your best interest at heart.

You may be tired of hearing, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33 NKJV). Children of God are citizens of this Kingdom now in this lifetime. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).

To truly seek God, "His way of doing and being right" (Matt. 6:33 AMP), may require you to accept personal singleness. Is this easy? Probably not! But God is faithful. He will not fail you; He will help you.

Avoid becoming compulsive and obsessive about finding a mate. Obsessive-compulsive behavior leads to manipulation and control. Rest in the Lord, stay calm and watchful, exercise self-control, and keep alert, because your adversary is prowling around seeking whom he may destroy (1 Peter 5:8). Cast all your anxieties and worries over onto the Lord, because He cares for you (v. 7).

God has a plan for you. He know what it takes to bring each one of His children to spiritual maturity, and He has spoken in His love letter to you:

I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
(Jer. 29:11)

Source: Prayers that Avail Much for Singles by Germaine Copeland
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers