Set Apart

A friend sent me a verse the other day. It was one I hadn’t thought about in a long time, but it encouraged me so much, I couldn’t believe I had ever forgotten it! It was Psalm 4:3

“But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto Him.”

This verse is one of those that seems to pour balm into my soul. Do you have verses like that?

The reason this verse is so special to me is because God’s plan for my life has led me down a path that is out of step with our cultural norms.

For a Christian woman who believes that becoming a wife and mother is the most noble calling and the highest purpose of Christian womanhood, being a single woman with no prospective husband in sight can sometimes feel awkward. Even the world expects that a woman my age would be married or dating, or at least just “between relationships”.

But that’s not what God has planned for me in this season. This verse reminds me that God is not keeping anything from me; in fact, it’s quite the opposite.

By pulling me out of step with “normal”, He is setting me apart for a purpose He has designed especially for me. To be out of step with culture within the will of God is really just to be brought into a place where we can walk closer in step with Him.

So whenever I begin to look around me and feel out of step, I remember that I am here by God’s design, drawn away from the crowd that I might walk closer to my Savior.

When I remember this truth, all the awkward feelings of being set aside melt away. Instead, I feel honored to be set apart, called away from distractions into closer fellowship with the holy God who loves me so.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light” (I Peter 2:9)