Day 28  The Bride

Monday August 20

Come In – Heather Clark – Deep

I have come to greet the king
That’s what we’re here for

We’ve come to give ourselves 

In total abandonment

We’ve come to lay down

We’ve come to lay down

We’ve come to lay down

We’ve come to lay down

And rest in You
We’ve come to rest in you

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.   2 Corinthians 11:2-3

Pure: (1) unmixed with any other matter (2) free from dust, dirt, or taint (3) spotless, stainless, free from free from harshness or roughness and being in tune –

Total abandonment.  Laying down all that holds me back from my Lover and whatever holds Him back from me.  Not because I have to, not because of rules.  But because I cannot bear anything that will keep me from Him or Him from me.  And because He is pure I long to give Him the purity of my own heart. Free from any other ties that bind.

So many things vie for our attention, want to lead us astray, want to harden our hearts. 

So many good things even that seek to distract us from the greatest truth of our identity and our true place  in the Kingdom:

We are the princess Bride.

All glorious is the princess within [her chamber]; her gown is interwoven with gold.

In embroidered garments she is led to the king;her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you. They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.   Ps 45:13-15

The Princess Bride – Tracy Rahn – The Sound of Desire

You’ve set a veil upon our brow

You’ve  placed a ring of gold on our finger

You’ve clothed us in a silken gown

And our lips, Your kiss lingers

The wedding feast is set

Candlelight

Fills the banquet room

The air is filled

With flowers’ fragrance

And filled with love for the Bride

From her Groom

People start to gather

As the Groom takes his place

He’s dressed in robes of golden purple

That don’t even compare to His radiant face

And He waits with satisfaction knowing

That in a moment she’ll be by his side

He’ll see her beauty

That’s His Princess Bride

You’ve set a veil upon our brow

You’ve placed a ring of gold on our finger

You’ve clothed us in a silken gown

And our lips Your kiss lingers…

Your kiss lingers

Your kiss lingers

"In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.'  I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked.  In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.  I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.

"In that day I will respond," declares the LORD- "I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.   I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'"  Hosea 2:16-23

He has lifted the veil from off our faces. He has taken that which has separated us and has removed it. There is now nothing between the Bride and her Husband. It is removed. It is gone. Bound by the unity of the rings, sanctioned by the pleasure of the Father, witnessed by those who have gone before us and love us, we are now His Bride, Flesh of His Flesh, Heart of His Heart, one with Him. He now takes us to the wedding chamber. He brings us into the intimacy and fellowship of oneness with Him, aloneness with Him, communion with Him, deep abiding with Him. He shares His thoughts, His heart with us, as we share with Him. That deep communion between those who are married.

We will never be "the wife", we are always His Bride, because His love is always new and fresh. Time will never tarnish His fervor for us. Our fears melt when we are touched by His gentleness, our shame vanishes as we are touched by His suffering love for us. It is time to cleave to Him.

May we be lost in this amazing love. And in so doing find our true selves.