Each earthly marriage, each human love story, and even the very natural longing to find a mate, is intended by God to point us to a far greater love story: the love of the Messiah for His Bride
This point was driven home to me by the story of a young couple who chose to go through a uniquely prophetic journey to marriage. Brayden and Tali, with the full blessing of their parents, hosted an intimate and emotional betrothal ceremony attended by family and friends. The ceremony featured the couple pledging their love to each other, washing each other’s feet, publicly reading their marriage ketubah (covenant) and finally sharing in communion together. Once this ended, Brayden solemnly rose to his feet to announce that he was leaving. The camera followed Tali’s face as Brayden left the room, and from that point onwards, the young couple were to have no further direct face to face contact until the time of their marriage ceremony. Being a builder, Brayden quite literally went to work on building their future house during this waiting period.
As the months went by, it was increasingly evident how much Tali was yearning and longing to be with her future husband, while doing her best to get ready for that great day to come. Meanwhile, Brayden and a team of his friends were kept busy working on their future house. As the time drew nearer, and in order to make the wedding celebration practical for family members to attend, plans were made for everyone to spend a week at a camping ground. Seeking to adhere to the ancient Jewish wedding customs, the groom would appear at an unspecified time during the week, and the bride would have to make sure she was ready at any time.
So the families gathered at the camp site in what was to be an unforgettable camping experience! The excitement was thick in the air as the hours and days slowly went by at the campsite. Finally the grand moment came when the unmistakable sound of shofar (trumpet) blasts echoed through the camp grounds. Family members and friends hurriedly gathered at an appointed meeting place, waiting in eager anticipation for what was about to happen next. Gasps and applause arose from the crowd as they spotted in the distance the groom himself, riding on a stunning white horse and flanked by his groomsmen carrying their shofars.
As he arrived, Brayden descended from his horse and lovingly embraced his beloved, Tali. As Brayden and Tali finally met again after so long apart, they quite simply couldn’t stop smiling as they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. Finally the journey was complete, the separation was over, and the moment had now come for them to spend the rest of their lives together.
Waiting with Expectation
You and I are like Tali, waiting for our future bridegroom. But unlike Tali, we are waiting for the most glorious bridegroom of all history, namely Jesus. As Christians, we are to carry the same passionate longing for our bridegroom as Tali so beautifully portrayed.
However, at a wedding, it is not just the bride who is excited, the groom is equally excited and longing for this great day.
The longing and excitement of the groom, tells us of Jesus’ intense and passionate love for His bride, which is you! He loves you intensely and is more excited over you than you can ever imagine. He can’t wait to see you, clothed in white and in splendour, and to spend the rest of eternity with you.
He is Faithful and Just
Yet many Christians walk through life with their heads bowed in shame. They feel condemned over their past, they feel inferior, and some even feel like failures. They may have heard that Jesus is coming, but their guilt and shame hinders them from embracing His return with the confident excitement of a bride.
One of my favourite Scriptures which helped me overcome my own feelings of guilt and shame is found in 1 John 1:9: “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” As I have pondered this Scripture over the years, I understood the part about God being faithful to forgive as we confess our sins, but I kept stumbling over the part of the verse that says that He is “just” to forgive our sins. “What is just about forgiving me?” I thought to myself. “After all, justice would demand that I would pay for my sins.”
One day I unexpectedly found the answer to my question at a local coffee shop. I had met a friend for coffee, and when I went to pay, the shopkeeper declined my payment, saying it had already been paid. I asked my friend and she hadn’t paid for it either. It turned out that an unknown person had paid in advance for me to have that coffee.
Reflecting on this, I realised that the shopkeeper could not have received my payment for the coffee. That would have been unjust as it had already been paid for. In the same way, God can’t accept my payment for my sins because they have already been paid for. In this way, God’s justice is satisfied and I receive unmerited and undeserved forgiveness.
This verse has been a life-changer for me, by removing shame and condemnation, and giving me confidence in the Lord.
Waiting with Expectation
We can therefore have assurance that we are forgiven and that we are now clothed in those beautiful white robes of righteousness, ready for our heavenly wedding day. From Heaven’s perspective, you and I are truly part of the glorious bride and our heavenly bridegroom can’t wait to see us when He returns.
May that Day come soon!
Hope Fulfilled: Finding Love God’s Way
The above article is drawn from our book “Hope Fulfilled: Finding Love God’s Way”. Hope Fulfilled takes you through Sarah and Enoch’s journey of receiving a promise from God and yet having to wait many years to see it come to pass.
Hope Fulfilled also dedicates an entire section to looking at the links between ancient Jewish wedding customs and the teachings of Jesus about the great Heavenly weeding. You can order this book via our web shop or via Amazon
Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
0 Comments