God is the perfect Matchmaker

by Andrea Onah
(Surrey, UK)

Before meeting my would-be husband I had penned what I now refer to as 'Andrea's independent' checklist of requirements for the man of my dreams. At the time of this so called life-critical project of mine, it is safe to say I had gone past the woozy stage of fairy tale requirements of tall, dark and handsome.

Having infinitely exceeded the expiry date of my teenage fantasy years, I had, by this time, fathomed that physical features had nothing to do with sustaining a long and happy marriage. Frankly I believed six packs stomachs always metamorphosed to pot bellies eventually, full heads of hair evolved to bald heads and so on. In a nutshell I had concluded physical attributes were as useful in marriage as a pair of bikini underwear in climbing Mount Everest!

Now before I continue and also for the record, I am not saying my husband is not an eye candy. Naturally as far as I am concerned, he is the best looking man in the entire universe. God, in matching couples together, ensures their eyes are adorned to appreciate each other's looks.

Eze, my husband, is handsome. And he does have a six pack of sorts in the form of a flattish tummy by reason of my excellent cooking of course! I won't talk about the hair factor though!

Penning down my list of wants and desires was a "Eureka" moment for me. I felt proud that I could articulate in written words my heart's desires collectively and "intelligently". This project had been undertaken during a distraction free period in my life where there were no so-called "suitors" that might influence the formulation of the list.

At last I could put together in my mind a tangible image of my future husband. I felt the same way as Abraham did when he saw the faces of his future generation in the stars that God showed him one night.

Interestingly however, the fate of the list started and ended that night. For a while at least. The said book found itself wedged between the pages of a thicker book on my bookcase, abandoned, un-opened and forgotten. So much for making lists, right?

One night a few good years later, I was having a time of prayer and fellowship with the Father and like an approaching light in the distance, I suddenly remembered my list. Like a hunter targeting a prized game, I needed to find the book. A sudden urgency to revisit the list had come upon me.

By this time, I had, of course, forgotten what I had written down along with the image I had carved of my prospective husband. It was time to go back to the drawing board.

My discovery of what I had written took me by surprise. Though relieved to find that the contents were not so fickle, I was nonetheless agitated that I had omitted a vital characteristic.

My carefully crafted list had items such as kind, intelligent, honest and "must have good timekeeping"! However, I had not even considered the most important thing - that my prospective husband was to be 'holy, saved and sanctified'. How good is a man with all the so-called best natured qualities that is not saved?

You see, the difficulty of writing lists without consulting the Holy Spirit is that we are likely to end up with lists based on our own experiences and/or purported smart reasonings. Who knows us better than we know ourselves?

That's right, The Holy Spirit. He knows us very intimately. He also knows every prospective suitor intimately. God is the perfect Matchmaker. He created every human being and out of the billions of people in the universe, He knows who best suits us.

If you are prompted to draw up a list, this cannot be done without His consultation, except if you want to end up with the wrong person. Any list you may consider making has to be done with His guidance and with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Needless to say, I revised the list after much prayer. The edited list ceased to be an independent list but a Spirit dependent one as per His leading and guidance.

On my wedding day as I stole my husband a glance, my mind went back to my list and I smiled. The Holy Spirit had matched me with a man according to His list based on who He knew would best suit me, a man with whom I would understand the definition of true love and vice versa.

I still look at the list and smile. The list is still authentic and true. Even with hindsight, the items on the list that were not clearly evident at the time, have now become more so.

God also knew what my husband would become. Eze is the perfect man because God chose him. It shows God's Word in any matter never changes. What He says He will do, He will perform according to specification. That is the God we serve! And He is the perfect Matchmaker.