Trustworthy

“Is there an area of your life where trusting God seems complicated?”

This was one of the first questions posed in Lysa TerKeurst’s book Trustworthy and the first question I had to answer in Bible study last summer.

For me, it was easy. God had been so faithful to me and had answered countless prayers until that point. He provided me with the most amazing, godly friends in college. He made a way for me to intern in Texas at First Liberty Institute. He gave me a spot in Alabama Law’s Class of 2024. I had seen Him move in so many areas of my life. Except for one.

So my answer to the question was this: “Waiting for the guy I’m going to marry.”

I had been on dates and gone out with a lot of different guys, but something was always missing. And I had made a promise to God a long time ago that I would wait for Him to bring the right one, that I would let Him write my story. But the story wasn’t looking like I had imagined.

I was so discouraged. For years my mom and I prayed for the guy I would one day marry. We were specific, consistent, and persistent. Yet nothing. I remember telling her at the beginning of the summer, “I’m not going on another date unless the Lord drops my husband into my life.”

A big part of me had already given up. But every week during Bible study, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness, how He’s worthy of our trust.

One day in June, my mom told me that a man from First Liberty was driving through Birmingham and wanted to take our family out to lunch. She asked me if I knew him from the summer that I worked there, but I didn’t. The rest of my family was busy, so my mom and I went.

We had the best time. The man was so kind and asked so many questions about our family. From the very beginning, I could tell his family was a lot like mine. He said he had a son around my age, but didn’t mention his name. We thanked him for lunch and went on our way.

A month or so later, I was on Instagram looking at wedding pictures of a girl who was in my sorority in college. Her family also happened to be friends with the First Liberty man’s family. Small world, right? I kept looking and saw a picture of him officiating her wedding. Then I saw a picture of his daughter with a tall guy in a gray suit.

I thought, “Wow, he’s really cute. This must be her boyfriend.” But then I realized they had the same last name. “Wait, this is her brother?!” So, naturally, I followed him, thinking his dad had already told him all about me. He followed me back, but that was it.

A couple of weeks went by and still nothing.

On a random Thursday, he posted something funny on his story. And I had a choice — go about my business or respond to it. Incredibly tough. A part of me was so over guys, but then another part of me wondered about him. He seemed different. So I responded. Very very casually. He said something back, and I quickly realized that he had no idea I went to lunch with his dad. I thought the conversation would end, and that would be it.

Little did I know, he was asking our mutual friend about me. She remembered me from college and told him that I had gone to lunch with his dad the month before. Then he asked his dad about me. Good things must have been said, because the next day I got a long message from him.

We talked about me meeting his dad, our families’ similarities, and so much more. A week later he drove from Buford, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama to take me on our first date.

And he’s been driving to see me ever since.

I never thought a guy like him existed. He’s a godly man with strong character. He’s a hard worker and a leader. But he’s also a servant and loves his family (and me) so well. He’s the greatest gift and the answer to every prayer I’ve prayed for so many years.

This summer, I get to marry him, and I couldn’t be happier.

Every time I look at him, I’m reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness. The story He’s written for our lives is infinitely better than the story we would have written for ourselves.

And oftentimes the very place where we struggle to trust God the most is the stage on which He performs miracles. For despite our doubt and our wavering faith, He always has been and forever will be trustworthy.