Isaiah 54:2-5 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; 3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. 5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
This passage was given to me by a dear sister in Christ a couple months ago at a special luncheon in her honour. Her hand-written note, taken from the Amplified Bible instead of the KJV above, is still here on my desk. For those who have not yet read my series, “Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey”, God had introduced himself to me as my unseen Husband back in March of 2007. With a personality determined to ensure I am always obeying and living life in context of Scripture to the best of my ability, that revelation sent me diving into the Scriptures to be sure I hadn’t finally fallen off the deep end! This desire to learn more about what had just happened led to lessons and revelations that I talk about in that series. The past four years tested that understanding in my daily outworking of faith, because I had gone from working for myself to being someone else’s employee, as well as entering a severe downhill slide in my mental and emotional health that I’d later discover was a direct result of suffering adrenal fatigue! Not fun!
As I have taken steps to slow down, change my diet to feed my adrenals, brain and hormonal systems of the body, and deliberately make more time for myself and my Unseen Husband, God has been showing up with those trademark 360 degree hugs again. . . and it feels so good! Actually allowing God to move in that role in this home has resulted in some pretty humorous situations every now and then. God very much enjoys being given the freedom to be an active part of our household!
So with that background in faith and daily living, I came to day 27 in Spellen’s book, and the verse that got her back on track was Isaiah 54:5, the last verse shared above. Just like myself, this revelation blew her right out of the water! I know how that feels!
Scripture talks at various times about the Bride of Christ, most notably in Ephesians 5, the later set of verses. But being a member of the Bride of Christ is not all roses and warm fuzzies! God has expectations of His Bride, and many of those require submission and surrender so that the Holy Spirit can make us ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. You can read more by picking up a copy of my series at any of the links you see here on this blog. New Christian Books even has the complete set as a single package in either PDF or paperback format. I’m dabbling with the idea of turning the series into an audio series, having recorded my “backstory” this spring.
Whether you are in the waiting room hoping to one day be married to an earthly mate, or whether you are widowed or divorced, if you are a member of the Body of Christ, God wants to be there for you! This goes for both men and women. God will meet you on the level best suited for you, if you will let Him! Will you let Him love you?
