My Bridegroom

         "As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So shall your God rejoice over you."  Isaiah 62:5

      

"I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent
and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place - unless you repent. " Revelation 2:4-5

I loved Him the moment we met. He had always loved me. We promised ourselves to one another for all eternity and daily sought new ways to express our love. Our greatest joy was simply to be alone together, sharing our thoughts and longings. Happily we looked forward to our wedding day.

I had reason to be excited! My Beloved is the most wonderful Bridegroom any bride could imagine. He is kind and understanding beyond comparison. With gentle wisdom, He listens to my every word, shares all my concerns, and shares in all my activities. His heart is pure and steadfast; nothing can distract Him from doing what He knows is right.

My Bridegroom rules the richest, strongest, and most beautiful Kingdom in existence. Therefore, He wields unlimited power to protect me, provide for me, and make me truly happy. He is everything I could ever want, for He is altogether perfect and lovely!

But as our engagement period stretched through the years with no set wedding date, I began to lose my sense of joy and anticipation of that great day. The wonder and delight of our love-relationship faded, as did the intimacy of our fellowship.

Grieved, my Bridegroom reminded me, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I will always be faithful to you. Will you not be faithful to me?"

Gently, but with sadness in His voice, He continued. "I miss you. You are so busy these days -- so occupied with all the good work of our Kingdom. But you don't have much time for me any more. Have you lost your first love?"

"Oh, no," I cried. "I love you far more than all these other things. I am so sorry I lost sight of our goal. I became distracted and forgot what is most important. Please forgive me. Only you, my Beloved, are my strength, my hope, my joy, and my love forever."

Now we continue to walk together -- building our love relationship, as well as the Kingdom that we will share for all eternity. My Beloved is always here, encouraging, helping and loving me. How precious He is! Together we delight in our intimate fellowship and look forward to that wonderful day when we will meet face to face and our union will be complete. What a day that will be!

Beloved Bridegroom, guard over my heart.

Let nothing distract me from the joy of your presence.

Please continue to show me the glory of our covenant relationship and the wonders of sharing every moment with You. And let every human relationship be richer and deeper -- an unending expression of your faithful and enduring love -- because You live in me. Thank you, precious Lord.

See also: Psalm 16:11, 27:4, 73:26-27; Isaiah 62:5; Matthew 9:5, 25:31-34; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:41; 1 Corinthians 7:35; 2 Corinthians 11:2-3; Revelation 2:1-5, 19:7-8, 22:17, 20.