This past spring at the small Bible conference I attended in Texas, Barbara Mouser mentioned a prayer idea which intrigued me. She told the group of ladies attending the conference that on the day of her daughter's wedding, she prayed that the Lord would "show her the Bridegroom."
Many times in Scripture, Jesus is referred to as the Bridegroom who will someday come to get His Bride, the Church and take her to Heaven to be with Him forever. Godly men, although still sinners, reflect Jesus and His attributes (this idea is thoroughly explained in the Five Aspects of Man Bible Study by Bill Mouser). Godly women also reflect Jesus' attributes, but in different ways than men.
Weddings are special events which we most of us don't attend regularly. It was with this fact in mind that Barbara prayed her prayer. She wanted to see Jesus reflected in her son-in-law, the bridegroom that day. She asked God to give her glimpses of Jesus the Bridegroom and He was faithful to do so. Barbara caught one of those glimpses on the dance floor at the wedding reception, when her daughter and son-in-law had their first dance together. Jesus is crazy in love with us. It is with great joy that He will come to claim His Bride at the end of the age.
So with this thought in mind, I prayed the same prayer Barbara prayed when I attended the wedding of our friends in June. God answered my prayer in a different way than I expected, but He did answer my prayer.
Truth be told, I didn't see a whole lot of the bridegroom, Jason, that day. I was preoccupied with making the beans for the reception and also with keeping track of my children. However, at one point during the reception, the leader of the band asked all the married couples to congregate on the dance floor.
As Matt and I danced, I caught a few glimpses of my friend, Mrs L. Mrs. L was in the Five Aspects of Woman Bible study the first time I took the course three years ago. Mrs. L is a woman my age with young children. She has Parkinson's disease. Throughout our Bible study sessions, her body would move uncontrollably. Mrs. L's insights into Jesus and His Word were incredible. Everyone in our group was so grateful for her, so humbled by her, so awed by the grace which God had freely given her and which she so freely gave to all of us.
When I saw Mrs. L at the wedding, I was grief stricken. It had been a year since I'd seen her in person and her physical condition had deteriorated even more. At times she couldn't even hold up her own head. Yet, there was Mrs. L, with her devoted husband holding her up on the dance floor. Just as Matt twirled me around, I saw Mrs. L's hubby lean into her ear and say, "I love you."
Later, as we drove home, I began to reflect on the day. I said, "Lord, I didn't see the Bridegroom." As I continued to pray, the Lord pointed out to me that He had shown me another side of Himself, the Faithful Husband, through Mrs. L's husband.
No matter how broken I am, no matter how weak, how battered by sin and its effects, God still loves me. He doesn't ever leave me, even when He has to hold me up. That night the Lord said to me, "I will never leave you or forsake you, Melissa Macduff."
My friend gave me a book to borrow this past July. It's called Creative Counterpart, by Linda Dillow (BTW--a highly recommended read for women.) In it, she writes about Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." She explains that in the Greek language, "there is what's called a triple negative. It is used when the author wants to be extremely emphatic. This is the only verse in the New Testament in which this triple negative is used, and literally translated it reads: 'I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake you, nor relax my hold on you, assuredly not.' "
My God is with me, no matter how difficult my circumstances, no matter how hard my sojourn here on this earth. He will never leave me nor forsake me. He won't ever relax His hold on me. What comfort this knowledge brings me. Praise be to You, oh Christ.
For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
Isaiah 54:5
(Mrs. L. will be undergoing brain surgery in October in an attempt to relieve her very severe Parkinson's symptoms. I know she'd appreciate prayers from anyone who feels lead to pray for her.)
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