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.
(Revelation 19:7, NIV)
The world turns her eyes once again on the royal wedding. I thought it was just a while ago, the grand wedding was featured in every media coverage for a long period. I was just a young girl. The most talked about occasion on the lips of romantic people. That were the parents of the latest royal newlyweds, Prince William and his beau. Now the glamour belongs to their son and his beautiful wife.
Wedding – some like it simple. Many plan for the grandest occasion. Once in a lifetime. I don’t know about guys. Girls dream of the most romantic do. The dress – oh, that dream dress. I remember my own search for the ideal dress I wished for, and I never really found it here in this part of the world. I only drooled over it in magazines. I managed to settle and made peace with one and wore it on my wedding day. Yes, I was being complimented. My mum-in-law loved it. There was a whole lot of preparation to think through and about together with my fiancé then, and some major decisions with our parents. It was a tedious process of getting ready for just that one day.
The constant reminder to me was not to lose joy in the elaborate process and not to lose focus on the more crucial part – the marriage, the relationship. My fiancé and I talked through a lot of things during our courtship and some of these issues were discussed with greater intensity when we attended pre-marital counselling. The entire preparation entails great effort and deliberate thoughts and actions. My perfectionism and creative side longed for many aesthetic details which I eventually let go due to lack of budget. Nevertheless, it still turned out to be a grand do. The best part of it all, was not all the aesthetic fringes. It was the preparation of the spirit. That moment of standing in the presence of God and worshipping him as he joined me and the man whom I love was an indescribable unity. Simply awesome.
Great rejoicing and gladness filled the air. Weddings – what a glorious occasion! I cannot help it but to think of the Grandest of all weddings. My limited mind cannot imagine the grandiose feeling nor atmosphere of Christ coming back for his Bride. Are you ready?
The verse today urges us to rejoice and be glad, to set the tone to glorify him. We should be ready, but are we? Here is an imagery of our intimate relationship with Christ. How will we look like, be like, when he comes? Are we looking into the important details of preparation? Or losing track concentrating on the insignificant fringes? Is our heart cleansed and excited to welcome the grandiose occasion?
This is a constant personal challenge to me. I urge you to think through and get ready. Be the most beautiful bride, set apart for our Glorious Groom.
Glorious Lord, make ready my heart and spirit as I await the Day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
