February 5,
2014 we will begin a forty day journey of prayer focused on DESIRING . . .
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God’s desire for us and our desire for Him. We will be posting daily and encourage you to sign up and receive the postings as emails so you might have direction and encouragement during this time.
God’s desire for us and our desire for Him. We will be posting daily and encourage you to sign up and receive the postings as emails so you might have direction and encouragement during this time.
Our hope in
this forty day journey will be to develop an understanding of the raw,
intoxicating, passionate desire God has for His chosen bride.
We resist his
advances in so many ways. Why? We’re afraid.
His love for
us is passionate, intimidating, furious, jealous and overwhelming. The
scriptures are saturated with His desire for His Bride. All the covenant
language. Old testament – speaking of God the Father’s chosen Bride –
Israel – he enters into a covenant of faithfulness with Abraham – wedding vows,
so to speak – “I will be their God, they will be my people”.
This is all
throughout the sacred early books - He instructs Hosea to marry a prostitute to
demonstrate his perspective of how “she” (Israel) was unfaithful, yet his love
for her and longing for her remains. New Testament – new covenant
(renewal of vows) – God the Son and his chosen bride – the Church (US!) – same
deal – referring to the church as “her” – instructing husbands to love their
wives as much as he loves his (the church) – love letters pining about how
“she” has lost her passion – that “first love” that we have all felt at some
point in our marriages, the butterflies in the stomach, constantly thinking
about being together, the consuming desire to be with, touch, hear, talk with
our chosen ones.
What if our
desire for Him rivaled His for us? Not sure that’s possible, but what if
we began to ask Him to empower us to desire Him the way He wishes to be desired
by His bride? What would change in the church? Would it cause us to
become all that He wants us to be? What other motivation is there to do
his will? How would an overwhelming desire for our Lord change how we
function as a body?
A Lovesick
Bride. Nothing weak here. If we became as furious in our longing
for Him as He was in His for us, what could prevail against us?
Nothing? Do we really believe what the Bible says about jealous love,
love driving out fear, love being our highest goal? Is this really the key to the Church becoming
all she is ordained to be as the hope of the earth?
I believe the
front steps of revival of the Church in the world begins when we understand our
place in the heart of God and respond to it. I pray that as you begin to
consider this, it will set fire to your heart . . .
Doug
Bishop
Pastor
of Prayer
Ada
Bible Church
Looking forward to it!!
ReplyDeleteI love this. As I am listening to one of my favorite songs called Heaven is Here Now by Gary Rea, it reminds me so much of how much God desires us and how he is here with us and desires to make us his bride. The words to part of the song are as follows:
ReplyDeleteIn Heaven there'll be perfect peace
There'll be joy in the streets
And every mouth will be singing Your praise
There'll be no sorrow at all
And we will be free from every chain
and our bodies will be whole again
And Your church will be one
Spotless beautiful bride
For your Glory
We'll see Your Glory
Heaven is Here now
Your Spirit is here now
Lord we believe it,
We're starting to see it
Your Kingdom come
Lord come and Reign here
Come have Your way here
Establish Your rule,
Come take the throne
Your Kingdom come
I get so excited just thinking about it. God desires us! If we really think about that (and let it truly soak in and marinate a while) it should stop us dead in our tracks. I know it does me. That God would desire to use someone like me just blows me away. I am a broken mess on my own yet God desires me. He desires all of us. He is the Creator and Author of my life. In our weakness, He is made strong. He is all powerful and loves us with a wild abandon that we have never been able to fully comprehend. Yet, the more of His love I feel, the more I want of it. It is like an inner thirst, deep inside that cannot be quenched.
And to think that God loves me so much more than I can ever love him baffles me yet makes me desire him that much more!
Who better to desire to make us whole, to wipe out our blemishes, to love us with an unrelenting love and passion that we have never seen before than our Creator.
We are so blessed to be his bride. I too pray that we can understand with a greater intensity the magnitude of his love for us, his desire for us, and his relentless pursuit for us and to then have that same love, desire, and reckless pursuit for him in return. What a beautiful thing!!!!! Our God is so great!!!!!!!!