“He is looking forward to my coming.”
Have you ever thought of it in those terms?
Most people think about how happy we will be to see our God face to face, but have you considered how anxious He is to see you? Christians are called the bride of Christ in the New Testament. One day He will come again and we will be united with Him in heaven in an eternal marriage.
Jesus said,
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:2-3).
The most intimate relationship by which we are identified with Christ is that of a bride. One day we will hear a resounding invitation echoing through the universe, “The Bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet Him!” (See Matthew 25:6) In that moment, we will see the One whose passion for them was so great that He thought it better to die than to live without them.
Authentic Christianity isn’t a matter that revolves around overcoming sin as much as it is a love story between two people — you and your God.
How beautiful you are my darling. How beautiful you are! There is no blemish in you! Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along. You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes. How delightful you are, My love, with all your charms.
This note to you is recorded in the Bible, in the Song of Solomon. This book of the Bible is a love story about you and Creator. Its words are sometimes so graphic, so intense, that throughout church history there have been those who have argued that it shouldn’t even be in the Bible. However, your Divine Lover has made sure it is there. The Song of Solomon is a love poem written for you.
It’s eight stanzas call you beautiful no less than fifteen times!
The Divine Lover is consumed with you. Speaking about you, He said, “Who is this . . . fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars (Song of Solomon 6:10)? You may not feel that way about yourself, but it makes no difference.
What He says is an objective fact, whether you believe it or not. If you don’t believe it now, rest assured that you will believe it, because He is going to keep telling you how beautiful and precious you are to Him throughout all eternity.
One day, either now or later, the reality of His words will transform you.
Don’t think it irreverent to view God in a romantic way. He is the One who calls us His bride. He is the One who wrote to us in terms of passion and romance. We simply respond to Him. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
We didn’t initiate or set the pace for this relationship. He did. We have simply responded to His irresistible charm, affirming by faith, “My beloved is mine and I am His” (Song of Solomon 2:16)! Like every new bride, our profession of faith in Him is nothing less than the thrilling realization that, “I am my beloved’s and his desire is for me” (7:10, emphasis added)!
One might say that the love of God for you could be X-rated, not because of impurity, but because of intensity.
Does that idea make you feel uncomfortable? It shouldn’t, because He really does love you with an intensity beyond human comprehension. You are the pearl of great price for which He paid everything He owned in order to possess you. (See Matthew 13:45-46) Don’t be afraid to receive His intense love for you.
His love is intense, but His ways are gentle.
You are so deeply loved that your Creator has committed all of His divine resources to ensure that you will be His bride forever. He has gone to prepare for the wedding and will one day come back for you to take you to your eternal honeymoon home. In the meantime, every day He looks forward to your coming.
He loves you so very much and can barely wait for the time when you and He will live together face to face in heaven. It won’t be long, so be ready.
P.S. I wrote extensively about this subject in my book, A Divine Invitation. If you like this blog post, you’ll enjoy that book much.
