Getting older and struggling with still being single? A word of encouragement

Marriage is a desirable thing. Some marry young, while some marry when they have advanced in their years. Some long for marriage but haven't been able to find that that one person yet - and they're worried that they're only getting older.

Some single men and women have a target age for marriage. They hope that when they reach 30, they're already married. Some hope that before they get to 40, they'll be married with kids. Many, however, aren't able to hit their target age and when that happens, it can be painful.

Have you ever experienced waiting so long that you almost gave up on waiting for the right one? If you have, don't lose hope. God is able to turn things around for you.

When a brother marries at age 61

Famed Christian singer Carman Licciardello, known for songs such as "Satan bite the dust," recently married Dana. And hear this, friends - he married her at the age of 61 after years of expecting nothing more than to be a bachelor his whole life.

Carman happily announced his entry into a brand-new chapter in his life through social media:

"It's been a long time coming but Uncle Carm," he wrote, "the proverbial bachelor bit the dust tonight when I married the New Dana Licciardello in Dallas Texas."

When I read the news about Carman getting married at such a ripe age, I felt happy for him. God used him during the years he remained unmarried, and now God has given him the wonderful gift of marriage at a time when he felt like he had "no hope for a family or a long life."

The news of his marrying should bring hope to the many single Christians who continue praying and asking God for a spouse. If God allowed him to marry at age 61, with a cancer diagnosis just a few years earlier, God can allow anybody to marry.

A message to all who are longing

Friends, are you advancing in years and worried that you might end up living without a companion for the rest of your life? I'd like to encourage you. Here are a few things you should hold dear in your heart.

1) You are not alone even if you feel like it

If we are in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are told that God's own Holy Spirit resides inside of us. We may feel like we're alone but we're not.

With God, we're never alone. Single, married, separated, divorced, widowed - no one is alone in God.

2) Being single is a blessing

Friend, being single is a blessing in itself, that's why it's called "single-blessedness." 1 Corinthians 7:32 says "He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord." That's a blessing indeed.

My dear single friends, don't resent being unmarried. Consider your being single as a gift that should be and can be enjoyed until God decides to replace it with marriage. God doesn't consider spending time with you a burden or a bore, so don't feel that way about spending time with God.

3) God is your partner - until He decides to give you a human partner

My dear friends, we must realize that above all, God is our partner. Singles and married people have this is common: that God wants to partner with all of us in His work (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).

Until God decides to give you a human partner to work with you as you both partner with God, don't resent walking by yourself alongside Him. He is more than we'll ever need. God, in fact, knows just what we need, and He'll supply it (see Philippians 4:19).

Trust Him. He allowed Carman to marry at a ripe age. He can do that for you, too.