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Expectant Prayers ®

Jennifer Jo Weiss

The Bride of Christ (Lessons from Jeremiah)

 “I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago,
   how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness.”

Jeremiah 2:2

“Does a young woman forget her jewelry?      Does a bride hide her wedding dress?
   Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me.”
   Jeremiah 2:32

 

“Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you.”
Jeremiah 3:14a

 


Once again, our family is looking forward to a wedding this weekend.  The closer it gets, the happier and more excited we become! There’s nothing like a wedding because marriage was God’s idea.  Like many things in the Bible marriage a “foreshadow” of Spiritual truths. 

We, the church, are the bride of Christ.  “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:  ‘Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'  And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’" 
Revelation 19:6-9

What are characteristics of a bride?  Maybe the thoughts “pure”, “prepared”, or “beautiful” come to mind.   When I think about brides from the Bible, such as Queen Esther, we realize that the preparation time for a marriage ceremony can be quite lengthy.    My experience with this weekend’s wedding has only reminded me of how much planning and effort goes into a wedding – and it’s not just the bride!  The whole party: from caterer, to musicians, to planners, to parents, to guests, to the minister, to the bridal party… all are preparing and “doing”.

The church is in a preparation time before we are called away with Him to ever live and commune with Him.  Are we busy about planning and getting ready? 

Here are some of the parallels between our relationship with God and marriage:

-He has called us to be His own, like a couple who is engaged

-He gives us fine clean linen (robes of white) to wear, like a bride’s dress

-We are adorned with grace and other evidences of His love; a bride is adorned with jewels

-We will be with the Lord forever, the bride and groom exchange wedding rings as the symbol of their unending, unbroken love for each other for the rest of their lives

-A wedding is a full commitment to the spouse that we vow not to break; our relationship with God is a commitment that we vow not to break

 - And with both marriage and our relationship with God, there is unmatched closeness (intimacy).   Let me explain….


The Lord desires intimacy with His people!  Please do not misunderstand…this is not sensual in any way or reflective of what so many mislabel as “intimacy” in their human thinking.

True intimacy is defined as very close association, contact, or familiarity characterized by one’s deepest nature.  The alternate definitions describe intimacy as a warm friendship developing through long association.  

Intimacy can be displayed in many ways in our lives; but when begin talking about intimacy in regard to our Spiritual lives, we begin to hone in on the Holy Spirit.  He is the personhood of the trinity in operation in our world and personal lives today.  He is the counselor, comforter, teacher, and leader- empowering the believer to walk in righteousness and to bear fruit.   He is the evidence that God lives within us.

 When we commune with God in close association, familiarity, and fellowship from our deepest thoughts, feelings, desires, and nature - the evidences of the Holy Spirit are bound to come out eventually.   Intimacy bears experience.

People want to go “experience” the Holy Spirit without having a clear relationship with Him.   The Experiences without RELATIONSHIP are nothing more than chaff blowing in the wind.  They are deceptive in the fact that people seek to be “fruit” eaters, but want no association with the vine.  They want experiences, but aren’t nurturing the very thing they should be… the relationship.   They want the form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.  This could be anywhere from God’s favor, to the fruits of the Spirit (like joy or peace) or perhaps things like healing.

 We could use the world’s opinion of intimacy as an example.  We have millions of people running around the world indulging in sexual sins, living together in fornication… but yet never wanting to commit to relationships.  They are “fruit eaters”.  They are not engrafted in the vine; they are nothing but mere pestilences eating away at the fruit.    We have an entire society that “love pleasure rather than love God.”

When we liken this over to the spiritual, we find that there are many who call themselves Christians (or even those who don’t know Him at all) that are merely fruit eaters.  If they find this or that pleasurable, that’s what they’ll indulge in without a full or true committed love for the Lord.   

The book of Jeremiah has a lot to say about those who have enjoyed a relationship with the Lord only to become “adulterous” or “fall away from their true love”.    God goes as far as to call His people adulterous, prostitutes, and fornicators!  Yet, God’s love is unending and He wants us all to have a true relationship with Him.

On God’s end, the relationship is perfect!  God loves us with an everlasting love.  Even though we were full of sin, He sent His Son to die for those sins… that’s true love.  He knows the deepest recesses of our hearts and yet He loves us just the same.    It is our responsibility to hold up our end of the vows and to stay true to them and not fall away!

Many of are busy preparing as “the bride of Christ”, others do not know Him at all and aren’t yet invited to the wedding supper.  Others need to look at their relationship, remember our first love- and renew our commitment to Him.   Which one describes YOU?

I continued to be amazed at my studies in Jeremiah and how timely they are.  They have been hitting the nail on the head all this week.   I hope these thoughts have blessed you, too, and maybe you’ve learned some deep truths on your own from the book of Jeremiah!  

Blessings!




Congratulations to Dr. and Mrs. M !!!!





 

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