I was at the tender age of 16 when I received the message. It wasn’t a text since we didn’t have smartphones back in the ’80s. And no, it wasn’t a note somebody slipped to me during class. This one came from a higher source.
At the beginning of my junior year in high school, the Lord told me I was going to meet a boy who was going to be very special to me. He also told me that I did not know him yet and I would be going to the prom with him. How did I know this information came from the Lord? Because I just didn’t know it in my head. I knew it because the Holy Spirit placed it in my heart and my soul.
That school year, each time I went out with a new boy, I compared him against those requirements. One boy I had known since the middle school. Another one I had just met, but it didn’t last, thank goodness. The third one I had also just met and he was going to take me to the prom. At this point, it was April and the prom was in May.
My Mamaw Jo was quite the seamstress and she volunteered to make my prom dress. We went to Edith’s Cloth Store and none of the patterns or materials appealed to me. Now, there was absolutely nothing wrong with anything there. The problem was within me. Nothing felt right.
I knew this guy wasn’t the one since there was nothing special about him to me. And I’m sure he felt the same about me. To be honest, I also felt disappointed. I knew without a doubt that God was always faithful, but the three things God had told me would happen had not happened. So, I assumed that I had misunderstood Him in some way. I resigned myself to that fact and dreaded going to the prom.
You know, God’s timing isn’t like ours and lots of times we give up just a little too quickly. I certainly had, and when I least expected it, God showed up.
Later in April, I joined in a UNO card game in the cafeteria. I sat down across the table from this handsome boy who had a head full of dark hair. He introduced himself to me as Tim.
I immediately experienced the “Isaac Syndrome” that I mentioned in my article titled “The Isaac Syndrome.” It was as if God bent down and whispered into my ear, “This is the one I was telling you about.” Tim felt the instant attraction as well.
Even though Tim and I had attended the same school together for the last six years and knew the same people, we had never met. I don’t think God wanted us to meet until His timing was just right. I often wondered if God chuckled every time Tim and I passed each other in the hallway.
Yes, we did end up going to the prom together and we are still together. On October 12 of this year, we will have been married for thirty-six years. May of next year marks 40 years since our prom date. As for the other guy I was seeing, he wasn’t upset about not going to the prom with me at all. In fact, he was as happy as I was about going our separate ways.
I wasn’t the only person who used signs to find a future spouse. Let's visit Isaac’s story in Genesis 24. Abraham had sent his servant out to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant knew this was a very important mission and he prayed to the Lord to give him signs to know the right woman.
“And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give they camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for they servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.” Genesis 24:14 (KJV)
Fortunately for me, God didn’t require any camels. Could you imagine my mom’s reaction? “Hey mom, we need to buy a camel so I can find the man I am supposed to marry.”
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.