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.
As soon as I opened my eyes and realized the date, my
mind traveled back 35 years to my wedding day, the start of what I dreamed
would be a beautiful family life. I recalled a poem I wrote that described the
reality:
One sunny morning on the fifth of May
A young maid hurries to prepare for her day
She borrows her mother’s gown, aged an
off-white,
And the gown fits perfectly to the bride’s
delight!
With a delicate veil, she covers her face.
Eyes full of hope shine through soft lace.
Her heart races as she slips into shoes that
are new.
She completes the old adage with a garter of
blue.
A bouquet of pink roses she holds in her hand
While her attendants of three around her
stand.
She takes that step that will change her life
As she walks down the aisle to become his
wife.
A decade later on a sunny May morn
The bride wears a gown that is tattered and
worn.
Three little children are her attendants this
day.
Her bouquet has faded, and the groom is away.
Tears fill her eyes as she recalls that day
When she borrowed a gown on the fifth of May.
After many years, the heartache is old,
nothing is new,
He has forgotten again, and the bride is
blue.
Shortly
after the poem was penned, my marriage ended, as so many others do.
She borrows her mother's gown, aged an off-white, And the gown fits perfectly to the bride's delight! |
Even
though the years have passed and the wound has healed, thinking about my failed
marriage that morning brought a twinge of regret and sorrow to the surface. But
I pushed back that twinge as I lifted my head, arose from my bed and parted the
pink rose-printed curtains. I peered out the window to gaze upon the day. The
rain I had heard in the darkness had ended, leaving the landscape fresh and
clean, the dust of yesterday washed away. My eyes fell upon the rosebush below
and I gasped at the newly formed bud, its leaves green and laden with fat drops
of nourishment.
I
thought about how God makes all things new (Revelation
21:5), how He heals the brokenhearted (Psalm
147:3) and works all things together for good (Romans
8:28).
Divorce
is ugly and not what God desires for us, but He loves us through it all. He
forgives, He strengthens, and He transforms. He is the God of fresh starts. His
mercies are new every morning (Lamentations
3:23).
I
quickly snapped a photo of the beauty and hurried to prepare for my day. Soon I
found myself walking down the church aisle to find a place. I slipped into a
row; my friends slipped in beside me. We greeted each other with a warm
embrace, then lifted our voices in song. The lyrics on the screen (Ever Be by Bethel Music Publishing) seemed
to be tailored just for me:
Your love is devoted like a ring of solid
gold
Like a vow that is tested like a covenant of
old
And Your love is enduring through the winter
rain
And beyond the horizon with mercy for today
Faithful You have been and faithful you will
be
You pledge yourself to me and it's why I sing
The
vows that were spoken 35 years earlier were broken; the gold rings were stashed
in a box. But His love never fails; it endures through it all, till the end of
time and beyond (Psalm
136:1-2).
We
continued to sing:
Now you're making me like you
Clothing me in white
Bringing beauty from ashes
For You will have Your bride
Free of all her guilt and rid of all her
shame
And known by her true name and it's why I
sing
Tears
filled my eyes as I made the connection. I am His bride. He has cleansed me and
clothed me in white (Isaiah
1:18). He has forgiven and healed. In my mind, I penned a new verse
to my poem:
“I’m not finished with you yet,” I was told.
And His vow has been tested like a covenant
of old.
Now I see! Behold, He makes everything new!
He never forgets, He’s always true blue.
I
lifted my hands, my heart echoing the words of my mouth:
And it's why I sing
Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be
on my lips
Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be
on my lips
Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be
on my lips
Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be
on my lips
Dear Jesus, my devoted
Bridegroom, thank You for the beautiful ways You love me, like orchestrating
worship service lyrics to speak Your love tones directly to me. You know me inside
and out and perceive my thoughts from afar (Psalm
139:1-2). You know what’s on my heart and bless me like only You
can. You have been forever faithful throughout the years, lifting me from the
ashes of despair and cleansing me from the dust of yesterday. You have healed
my heartache and freed me from guilt and shame. Now I am known by my true name,
Your bride. And that’s what I will ever be and that’s why I will ever sing. Happily
ever after.
P.S.
Dear Ones, if you too have experienced divorce, loss, pain, or grief of any
kind or are currently enduring a trial, know that you are loved. Know that He
is ever-present. And He’s not done with you yet. He has a purpose for your pain
and will not waste the hurt. While you endure, He is testing the genuineness of
your faith, of greater worth than gold (1
Peter 1:6-7). Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in
the morning (Psalm
30:5b). He will turn your
grief to joy (John
16:20), turn your mourning into dancing (Psalm
30:11), and give you a beautiful headdress instead of ashes (Isaiah
61:3). Even now He’s working out all the details of your happily
ever after.
Bethel
Music Publishing. Lyrics to “Ever Be.” Retrieved from Google on May 11, 2019.
P.P.S.
Many songs speak powerful messages. Here are a couple I just discovered. Maybe
they will inspire you too.
Superb!
ReplyDeleteRevelation 4:11 says, “For his pleasure are we created.”
Hilites for me:
“I’m not finished with you yet,” I was told.
And His vow has been tested like a covenant of old.
Now I see! Behold, He makes everything new!
He never forgets, He’s always true blue.
Also: “Three little children are her attendants this day”. Reminds me of the fellowship I had at the church last nite with 2 of my boys…
And: Weeping may stay for the night but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5b). So true… so true… a reality only He can bring in…
In Song of Solomon 6:3, she says, “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” What a beautiful picture of her growth into the fullness of Christ’s disposition.
Just like your life, Desiree, literatured here in “The Bride”.
Aww, thank you for those sweet words, Arnie.
DeleteSo beautiful and true! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shawn! I appreciate you reading and leaving kind words.
DeleteDesiree I am uplifted and encouraged by your devotional writings using the annointed words of God from the Holy Scriptures in the Bible. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment. I'm happy to hear you were encouraged. God is so faithful.
ReplyDeleteMay we all fill our hearts with the LOVE of Jesus Christ and live in His compassionate grace.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Carla! Thank you for "stopping by" and commenting. I appreciate you!
Delete