Have you ever spent fifteen minutes looking for your keys only to find you were holding them in your hand? Unfortunately, I have done that all too often! Then you wonder, “How could I have missed them? They were with me the whole time!”
I wonder the same thing when I reflect on my journey into deeper intimacy with God. How could I have missed this?
Jesus used many metaphors to describe His relationship to His people: Potter and the Clay, Shepherd and Sheep, Master and Servant, Father and Child, Vine and Branch, and others, but none compare to the one used more often in the Bible and that is the Bride and the Bridegroom.
“And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.”
(Is. 62:5)
“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.”
(Rev.19:7)
“I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
(Is.61:10)
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her…. This is a profound mystery—but I am speaking about Christ and the church.”
(Eph.5:25,32)
Marriage was the metaphor God chose to communicate explicitly to us, “I desire to have the deepest, most intimate relationship with you that is possible.” Let that sink in, dear one. God yearns to be in an intimate relationship with you. You exist, because He aches to be in a relationship with you.
Born Out of Relationship
Even before time began, the deepest intimacy that ever existed was enjoyed among the Godhead. (Jn.1: 1) The Father, Son and Holy Spirit mutually loved and adored One Another. No one Person distracted attention from the Other as each joyfully exalted the Other. It was a Divine Dance of sorts.
In the midst of this joyous interchange, God desired to create a people who would share in the love and laughter He already had in Himself! Unlike the animals or anything else He had made, He created man and woman specifically for the thrill of companionship with Himself and with each other. (Rev.4:11)
We were created in the image of perfect intimacy.
At the pinnacle of Creation, God officiated the very first wedding, concluding with this announcement: “…and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen.2:24; Eph.5:31)
Who said God was a ‘killjoy?’ He loves intimacy and romance. He created it all, not only for our pleasure, but for His! John and Stasi Eldredge, in their amazing book Love and War: Finding the Marriage You’ve Always Dreamed Of, say this:
“God is a great Lover, and He created marriage to play out on this earth a daily, living, breathing portrait of the intimacy He longs for with His people…[It is] a passion play about the love and union between Jesus and His beloved.”
We were created first for intimacy with God and then with each other.
“They shall become one even as We are one.”
Reminiscent of the delight, love and perfect unity enjoyed among the Trinity, the couple would now experience the ecstasy of a literal physical and spiritual union as well. (I Cor.6:16, 17) What an exquisite expression and experience God gave to communicate His passion towards us!
Oh how I love the heart of God! He is the Beautiful Bridegroom; we are His Bride.
This is indeed the most amazing marriage proposal that ever existed!
Prayer
If you are single, let the depth of intimacy that you see portrayed in marriage be your personal invitation to go deeper in your relationship with God. Surrender your singleness to Him and beg Him to quench your desire for love first by pursuing Him above everything else.
Married or single, ask God to open the eyes of your heart to His exquisite love He has for you.
Recommended Reading:
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul
by Stasi Eldredge, Thomas Nelson Publishers
Love and War: Finding the Marriage You’ve Always Dreamed Of
by Stasi and John Eldredge, Doubleday Publishers
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