Hope Chest!

This God I serve sure is a mystery. He amazes me. You are all familiar with my desire to get married. Well, the other day God went ahead and confirmed it to me again, that he is the one who places the lonely in families. He also said to get ready to receive my husband. I didn't know what else I could possibly do that I wasn't already so I asked him to let me know how to do this. He said that I needed to submit to him and to yield completely. I had no clue what he was on about. I felt like I had already yielded all I could, like I couldn't go down any further. But I let him know I was game for whatever he had in mind.

Well, he started teaching me about hope. That he is the giver of hope and that the reason my hope for marriage will not die is because he knows the plans he has for me, to bring about that very future that I hope for (Jer 29:11). So when all I can see is darkness, he is busy working furiously behind the scenes to bring my desires to fulfillment. He has given me the desire for marriage because he is working on making it happen.

He also began talking to be about faith. He said that hope and faith go together. You cannot have faith for something you are not hoping for. It is because I am hoping for a family of my own that I can believe God and have faith for them. He went on to let me know that my faith must not be contradicted by my words and actions. I must live like someone who is going somewhere soon. He has put it in me to celebrate every wedding, birth, christening etc around me and then say with faith "I'M NEXT!". People laugh because they know I don't currently have a boyfriend but I know that I am activating something in the Spirit and that my words shall run swiftly to accomplish that for which they are sent.

This is the really crazy part for me. He spoke to me last week about starting a hope chest. Me! A totally African woman doing a totally unafrican thing! My culture does not do this, but God says that my starting a hope chest is my action of faith! I have had some time to think on it and I am so excited at the thought. I need some ideas on what to put in it though since my culture does not do this. Anyone out there can give their suggestions. This for me is really a huge step of faith and a bit scary. It makes me very vulnerable because I know it may open me up to ridicule. But God said to do it, so I will.