Eleven Promises for the Single Mom, Part 2

(This is the second part in a series by my friend, Samantha Ferguson. If you missed the first part, click here .)

Here’s a quick recap of the first four promises for the single mom.

1. You are honored.
2. He cares about the details.
3. His grace will fill in the gaps.
4. You can’t do it all, but you don’t have to.

And now we pick up with the fifth promise.

5. You are protected.

For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. Psalm 91

Whatever you are facing, He is protecting you. He promises to rescue us. We trust in His name, and He protects. When we call on Him, He promises to answer, whatever the situation.

6. He collects every tear.

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8

This is a very tender promise to me. I can’t even begin to count the tears I have cried over my life, but God knows. He loves me so much He collects ALL of my tears and records them in a book. At night when I am weeping out to God for answers in my grief, He is right there collecting every single tear drop.

7. He brings you others to hold your hands up.

When the Israelites were at war, Moses had his hands held up in battle. Every time his hands slipped down, the Israelites would start to lose and when he would raise his hands again, they would begin to win again. So Moses had to keep his hands up constantly so the Israelites would see victory. This story means so much to me. I feel like I constantly have to keep going or keep my hands raised without stopping for my family to have all we need but I cannot do this on my own. Even in the small tasks, doing the same thing over and over again will wear a person out. That is where God brings others in beside you to “hold your hands up” so you can win the battles. God is so faithful to bring friends to help you. I had one sweet acquaintance offer to fold all of my laundry!! Another friend is always willing to keep my children when I need someone. When my daughter was in the hospital, one friend stayed with me in the emergency room then took my son for the weekend. The entire hospital stay was filled with visitors who took care of us and “held my hands up” when I wanted to curl up and sleep under the pressure.

Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Exodus 17:12

8. He is redeeming your story.

He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whoⁱ have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

I hear Romans 8:28 so often I can take it for granted. He says he will work ALL things for our good. ALL things, even awful, horrible, no good things…. When we love Him, He will turn them into a good experience for us. He uses it to teach us. He uses it so soften us. He uses it so show us how He is a BIG God. In Isaiah 61:3, we see a beautiful promise to cling to. I often feel like my life is in ashes and I am still in mourning and despair over what has been burnt away from my life, but He so beautifully says He will give us a crown, a joyous blessing, festive praise. We are planted for HIS glory. This is a promise I believe even though I haven’t seen it all come to pass.

9. You are not alone.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

I struggle with this the most. At night when all is quiet, on weekends when all of my friends seem to have plans with husbands or families, this is when I have to stand on this promise even when my feelings do not match up. He is holding us up. We are not alone, He is with us.

10. You are strong and courageous.

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6

“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. Deuteronomy 20:1

You are stronger than you think you are with God on your side. You are so courageous to face the battles you face every day. When the battle seems bigger than you are, we are told not to be afraid. Instead, the same God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt will bring us out of whatever situation we are facing.

11. You are beloved by God.

At first I thought God was saying to me “You are loved.” Yes, that is true but I hear it so much it is hard to really know what that means. Then I heard Him say to me…. BELOVED. I looked up what beloved meant and it brought so much comfort to my spirit. The dictionary defines Beloved as:  dearly loved:  dear to the heart, cherished, admired, treasured, dear, favorite, worthy of love.

Isaiah 43 is my life chapter from the Bible. I have a small tattoo on my wrist to remind me of the promises in the verse. He knows my name. I am HIS. I am honored in His sight. Others were given in exchange for me…. I am beloved by God.

 I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Isaiah 43

I finish with one of the most amazing verses in the Bible. NOTHING can separate us from God’s love. Regardless of your circumstances, God is with us. It may look hopeless but the God of all HOPE loves us more than we could ever imagine.

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39