Perhaps no topic is more stimulating and contentious amongst singles than the subject of how to find a mate. As preachers, we have an ideal opportunity to minister to singles on this subject from a biblical perspective, and whilst we should always encourage singles to find fulfilment in their lives in their single state, our preaching would be more valued by singles who hope to marry if it included some biblical insights.
The Bible isn’t short on insights about finding a mate. But these insights are most effectively communicated when embedded into sermons every now and then, rather than through a specific sermon addressed to singles (or through singles seminars, because so few singles attend them!). However, the Bible is more descriptive than prescriptive about this theme, and most of the insights are in the Old Testament and come mainly from stories. This latter point is important, because many who preach on this theme tend to focus on the Proverbs passage ‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing...’ (18:22) and typically conclude that finding a mate is solely a single man’s prerogative. A more balanced view would be achieved if they at least compared it to a verse in the very next chapter ‘a prudent wife is from the Lord’ (19:14), which says nothing about the man needing to ‘find’ his wife.
