Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or left.
It was Mother’s Day 2013, and like any other Sunday, I was at church. While the congregation was singing, out of nowhere, the music went silent and I heard a whisper say, “that’s him”. At that exact moment, I noticed a man standing closer to the front of the church. The music didn’t really go silent, but in my ears it did long enough for a very important message to be shared with me. I didn’t know the man and only could see him from the back but knew at that moment that God had told me this man would be my husband. For someone like me who has a very busy mind it was incredible for the noise inside and outside my head to quiet and clearly hear words spoken to me. There was no denying whose voice I heard.
For the next several months I tried exhaustively to meet this mystery man. Fortunately a mutual friend introduced us. However, the spark that ignited in me didn’t seem to have done the same for him. I began to question if God had really spoken to me? Why did He tell me that was him but didn’t seem to tell that man? Shouldn’t he know too? I was tired of years of being lonely. If God told me this was the guy, why wasn’t He allowing a relationship to develop?
What I didn’t realize at the time was I was trying to control the outcome instead of waiting patiently for God’s timing. My excitement started to fade, and I gave up control of the outcome.
Meanwhile, not aware of the plan I knew God had for his life, this man concluded that perhaps he wasn’t meant to find the woman he had long hoped for. He accepted that if it was God’s will for him to remain single, it would be okay. In doing so, he placed the desire to meet the girl of his dreams into the hands of God, finally giving up control.
Then a chance encounter.
One day I decided to try a small group at our church. My sister lovingly offered to go with me and without too much research or a phone call to get the details, we just showed up for a group called First Place 4 Health. Little did we know that the group was celebrating their final night together for the season. The facilitator of the group was caught by surprise at our arrival, but so lovingly welcomed us, and even let us have some food. The members of that group were equally welcoming, including, you guessed it, the mystery man. That night I began long-lasting friendships that paved the way to finally bringing the mystery man and me together. On August 15, 2015, we were married and in attendance were our First Place 4 Health friends, thrilled to have been part of our love story.
I am so thankful I chose to listen to God’s whispers instead of disregarding them that morning. My relationship with my husband has helped me understand God and my faith in a way I hadn’t been able to until that point. We continue to ask, listen, and watch for God’s leading in our marriage and are amazed at the path He has chosen for us. Oh, how much I would have missed in my life if not for that loving voice.
Written by Misty Ufholz
