"God setteth the solitary in families." (Psalm 68:6)

This verse has often puzzled me. At first glance it seems God is promising that He will give everyone a spouse and perhaps children. However, not every godly person marries or has children, or their spouse dies or leaves them, so we know that a spouse and children isn't how God fulfills this promise for every person who is "solitary." We do know that all God's promises are true and that He does not lie, so we know that in some way He fulfills this promise for those who are alone.

Just recently a dear friend passed away - a 98-year-old woman who had never been married. She was a woman who had served the Lord all her life in various capacities, from nursing to missionary work to mentoring young believers.

At her memorial service her niece read the obituary. But before she started, she commented that something in it was missing. While it mentioned her many accomplishments and involvements, it didn't list the family members who had survived her, as most obituaries do. She then went on to talk about how her aunt had had many different "families," many of whom had survived her, in addition to her blood relatives.

Later as I was reflecting on the service, Psalm 68:6 came to mind, and I realized that God had fulfilled it for my friend in so many different ways. It's important to remember that He doesn't fulfill His promises to all of us in the same way. For some individuals He does indeed place them in a family with a spouse and children. For others, "family" takes on a different form: a church family, a group of friends or co-workers, supportive relatives, or perhaps a family that includes them in their get-togethers.

When a promise in God's Word doesn't pan out exactly as we imagined, we need to ask Him to show us how He wants to fulfill that promise in our own lives, so we don't reject His solution. It may not be how or what we would have chosen, but we can be assured that His fulfillment fits His purpose for us, which is for our good and His glory.

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." (II Corinthians 1:20)

© 2009 Fern Horst

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