Encouraging Bible Verses for Single Moms

Encouraging bible verses for single moms trying to understand God’s will in her life. What does the bible say about not being married? How does God want us to use our time? Does God care for the single mom?

What the bible tells us about not being married

It’s better to stay unmarried?

“So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows–it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am.”
1 Corinthians 7:8

You probably want to skip over this verse. How can staying single be better than being married?

Paul, the author, is telling us that we shouldn’t seek marriage only for the sake of being married.

Be honest with yourself. If you were to jump into a relationship today, would it be merely to be with someone?

How about your last relationship? Was it genuinely based upon God’s desire for the two of you to be together?

Or because you were lonely or some other reason?

The next verse from the same chapter in Corinthians gives us more perspective of what Paul means about marriage vs. singleness.

Part of the Bible about singleness not often preached on

“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 7:32-35

This is an interesting verse simply because it’s rarely preached upon or quoted. Sadly many in the church today preach that only marriage is God’s design.

They point to Genesis, where God said, “it is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18)

And although God did give Adam a woman to be his partner, God never said every person should be married. He said we should be “not alone.”

If you balk at this point of view, I encourage you to study the characters and stories in the Bible on your own and spend time in prayer.

Many prophets and great individuals in the Bible were single. Perhaps it doesn’t make an exciting sermon when most of the congregation is married. But consider:

Jesus was never married. But he was never alone. He surrounded himself with 12 disciples.

Paul was never married. But he was rarely alone unless in prison. (But even then, he made friends with his guard, and Luke visited him enough to help write Acts). Paul traveled with Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and others.

For more examples, this article outlines other well-known individuals in the Bible.

The truth is that we were never promised marriage. But married or single, our greatest calling is to serve God. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 tells us that if we are not married, we have one less thing we should be worried about.

Single parents have double the worries of parenting as both mom and dad at times. However, we aren’t concerned about pleasing a spouse.

More scripture useful for single parents

God’s ways are not our ways

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9

I love this verse because it reminds me God is sovereign.

We don’t understand why we’re in this season of single-parenthood.

Why our previous relationship fail. Why we’re struggling so much and why we can’t seem to catch a break.

But this verse tells us that God has a plan and reason that we can’t fathom. This shouldn’t stress us but comfort us because we can trust him.

Is God our husband during this time?

“For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.”
Isaiah 54:5

I’ve heard it said before that some single women dislike it when this verse is quoted to them because God isn’t there next to them physically. He can’t take out the trash, clean the gutters, and help bathe the kids.

And I agree. We shouldn’t quote this verse to single women blindly because it’s taken out of context. The meaning of the verse is God’s relationship with Israel.

However, let’s not put husbands on a pedestal either.

No one person can be the perfect husband for you. No one will do everything for you, even in physical form.

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a single mom who’s been in a failed relationship, and you know this from experience.

That man you thought would take care of you failed. And that’s humanity.

But you know who won’t fail you? God.

So yes, the Lord can be your husband. You can call him morning, day, and night.

He can’t physically unclog your toilet when your child overflows it at 7 am right before work. But guess what? You may marry a man someday who can’t or won’t either.

So although this verse is often taken out of context, it can still give you comfort.

If You pray, will he give You what You ask for?

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 doesn’t mean if you pursue God, you will get everything you want. That line of thinking is called the “prosperity gospel.” Believing in the prosperity gospel will only disappoint you, and it isn’t founded on Jesus.

What Jesus is saying in this snippet from his Sermon on the Mount is that we, as believers, should not worry about material things, like food and clothing, when we place our trust in Him.

The truth is that when we seek Jesus and His kingdom first, our desires will change.

You may not ever stop wanting to be married. And if it’s in alignment with God’s will, he will answer it.

But you will discover this with time. Time talking and listening to God. Time reading his word.

And sometimes, it takes time because God’s time is not ours.

how we as single parents can spend our time

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15: 5

While in your singleness, use this time to stay in God’s presence. During this time, your fruit will increase. Your children will benefit greatly.

When my children were younger, and I first became a single mom, we spent our evenings learning 26 bible verses, one for every letter of the alphabet. We put each bible verse to a tune to make it easier and enjoyable.

Don’t think for a moment this was a calm, peaceful, perfect ending to our day for a year.

Quite the opposite. Often my kids would dance on my bed as we sang our verse of the day.

But it didn’t matter. The purpose was for me to quit concentrating on what was going wrong in my life and put my energy on God’s Word and my kids.

As teenagers now, my kids can still recite many of those verses. Of course, they’re too cool to dance on my bed and sing them now.

What About Future Relationships?

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
2 Corinthians 6:14

To be equally yoked together means sharing the same set of beliefs and values. While in a season of waiting as a single mom, consider your past relationships that have failed. Were you equally yoked?

Did you take 2 Corinthians seriously when entering new relationships in the past? How can you do so in the future?

God Gives Single parents strength

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31

When I think back to my first year as a single mom, it’s a blur.

I was exhausted running from work to daycare to home. Then once we were home, the kids and I would spend the whole evening in the kitchen as I made dinner, helped with homework, and cleaned the dishes.

Next, we’d go to the bath then hang out in beds for our bedtime routine. Bedtime lasted forever because I was so tired that the kids could do whatever they wanted just so long as we were all in my bed.

Isaiah’s verse has powerful imagery with strong young men falling and stumbling, but God is strengthening them. The image of eagles in the sky.

God sees the exhaustion of young single moms. He sees our tiredness, and he gives strength to the weary single parent.

You will run; you will not faint. You will soar in the sky like an eagle.