August Encounter Week
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto
Welcome to Encounter Week!
Let’s look at the truth of God and how it can bring peace in your dating life. His truth brings peace in every situation, and your relationship is not outside His realm.
No matter where you are in the dating process—hoping to meet the right person or prepping for your wedding—when you know the truth of the Lord and how He feels about you, you will have greater peace in your heart.
May you encounter the Lord this week in a special way, and may all your relationship concerns vanish like smoke.
The Truth of God Found in His Word
Here is a list of truths about you, your relationship, and the Lord based on His Word.
Every day this week, set aside some time, and meditate on one of the truths in the following list. (You don’t need to do them in order.) Ponder the truth in your spirit, and ask the Lord to teach you more about it. Invite Him to show your heart what is real about Him, about you, and about what He’s doing in your life.
Note: If you have trouble sitting still with the Lord, it might help to set a timer for fifteen minutes. (Choose whatever time works for you.) This can help you press into Him when it’s hard to focus.
Truth #1: You can be at peace in your relationship because the Lord knows your desires even more than you do.
I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.
You knew me thoroughly. (Ps. 139:14 NET Bible)
The heart can be a mystery to the mind. Some of us think we know what we want in a relationship—but God knows what we really want. He knows the person who will make us come alive and laugh with joy, and it might not be the person we expect!
Your heart is so important to your heavenly Father, and He is standing guard over it, so it will prosper. Ask Him to reveal your heart to you at a deeper level. What does He think your heart wants in a relationship? Write down what He says.
Truth #2: Be at peace, knowing the Lord loves the desires He’s put in your heart.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart. (Ps. 37:4 NASB)
Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Eph. 4:15 NASB)
I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. (Ps. 139:14 NOG)
Your desires are “amazingly and miraculously” made, just like the rest of you. Yes, sometimes we get caught up in human understanding and chase after things that aren’t meant for us, but the more we grow up in Christ, the more we want what He wants. God loves our desires, and He wants to fulfill them for us.
Ask the Lord to show you His heart for the desires He’s placed in your heart.
Truth #3: You can rest because the Lord knows what He is doing. He can arrange your dating life with ease.
If Yahweh does not build the house,
it is useless for the builders to work on it.
If Yahweh does not protect a city,
it is useless for the guard to stay alert. (Ps. 127:1 NOG)
When the Lord guards something, it is guarded. So you don’t need to worry about your future spouse, when you will find them, how you will meet them, or if you need to do something to make your relationship happen—you can be at peace, knowing the Lord is guarding your “house.”
Ask the Lord to reveal to your heart how He is guarding your relationship.
Truth #4: Be at peace, knowing God wants to help you in your relationship. He is the God of love, not the God of anxiety and fear.
I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:4–5 TLB)
Every human has “walls” in their thoughts that try to keep God out. That is why renewing the mind is so important (Rom. 12:2). One way to have greater peace in your dating life is by saying “no” to fear-based thoughts and “yes” to love-based thoughts.
Ask the Lord to reveal to you something you’re thinking about your future marriage that is fear based, not love based. Pray about this thing, give it to God, and ask Him to reveal the truth to you instead.
Truth #5: Be at peace, knowing God will do what He promised.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1 ESV)
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. (Ps. 98:3 ESV)
What has God told you about your marriage? Where is He asking you to trust Him, because you haven’t seen the promise yet? Maybe He is gently telling your heart, “My child, I know what I am doing. You can trust Me in this. I will do exactly what I said.”
Take your promise to the Lord, and ask Him to refresh your heart as you wait for the promise to come about.
Truth #6: Be at peace in your dating life, knowing the Lord has accepted you with joy.
The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong. (Neh. 8:10 GNT)
While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. He felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him, and hugged and kissed him… The father said to his servants, “Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get our fat calf and kill it. Then we can have a feast and celebrate! My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!” So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:20–24 ICB)
Some of us think it’s hard to make the Lord happy. “He doesn’t seem pleased with anything I do. I’m probably going to mess things up, and God won’t be happy with me.”
If you have a tendency to feel that way about God and yourself, ask Him to reveal the truth to your heart. He is the God of joy and delight. That is who He is, and you bring greater pleasure to Him than what seems possible. He has accepted you with joy—as much joy as the father in Jesus’ story of the prodigal son.
Ask the Lord to show you how pleased He is with you. Also ask Him to tell you one truth about your future marriage.
Truth #7: Be at peace in your dating life, knowing the Lord is easy to please.
Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving.
Come into his courtyards with songs of praise.
Thank him, and praise his name. (Ps. 100:4 ICB)
Sometimes we make life with God harder than it needs to be. We apply rules to our worship of Him. “I need to do everything right in my dating life, so God will bless me. I won’t be blessed if I make mistakes. So I have to be perfect in everything.”
Does your heart know the Father’s delight in you? Do you understand how happy He is with the small acts of worship that come from your heart? Rick Pino says, “Anything can become worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of His presence.”
In your dating life today, what can you dedicate to the Lord and “perform it” with an awareness of His presence?
Go Forth with His Joy!
Precious child of God, you are loved more than you know! May you encounter His love this week in such a way that His joy in you makes you laugh.
Your heavenly Father loves you more than you realize! Check out these other devotions:
For more information on sex, marriage, and finding the person who is right for you, get a copy of Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. Click here to learn more. The book is also available in Spanish.