April 16, 2024

Captivating: Chapter 7 Romanced – Longing for Romance (pp 111-113)

Jeremiah31_3

I remember the first time that I heard the above words some few years ago.  My sister, who was staying with me at the time, had just gone to visit my parents in another city.  I felt so alone that evening and I decided to listen to music in order to drown out the silence that was in the house.  I had just bought a new praise and worship CD which contained a song based on Jeremiah 31:3. “I have loved with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with my loving kindness.” The song was so overwhelming; and I felt like God was speaking to me directly.  God LOVES me with an everlasting love.  I can’t express the exact feelings that I felt then but every fiber of my body felt that love.  I was so in awe of God for reaching out to me and telling me how much He loves me through that song.  My loneliness was replaced with God’s presence; it was an experience that I will never forget.

Each one of us wants to feel loved and to be romanced; we want to know that we are special to someone.  There is something about love that changes the way we feel and look at ourselves.  When I am first in love with someone I see things differently…I tend to smile at anything…what could easily annoy me does not bother me at all…the way I walk and carry myself…the time I take to look beautiful…happiness bubbles from inside my heart waiting to burst.  The day dreaming and secret messages that are shared with my loved one all seem to make my world beautiful—like I am on top of the world and nothing can touch me.  I feel special, worthy, and beautiful!

I have come to the understanding that I don’t need to wait for a man to feel special, worthy and beautiful every day because there is Someone who already makes me feel these things and so much more.  His love for me is eternal.  His romance is for eternity.  The romance that the Lover of our Soul, Jesus, has for us.  This romance is ours to experience every day.  It began long before we were born. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5).  Yes, that’s how much God knows (and loves) you and me.  He pursued us way before we came to be and He will never stop.  Like the great lover that He is, He woo’s us with everything that He has created: the flowers and vegetation, the beautiful sunset, the blue skies, the glorious mountains, the enormous lakes and oceans.  Everywhere we look, we are enchanted by the beautiful things that He has made for us to enjoy.

I always wondered why the Song of Solomon was in the Bible until I realized that it was a love message from God to us.  God is so romantic that He dedicated a whole book for romance.  Wow, that’s something not to be taken for granted.  This book beats all the romance novels that you and I have read by far.  The way the writer uses words to describe different animals to reflect the beauty of a woman is intriguing.  The love that is shared between the two lovers is mesmerizing.  I hope you find some time to read this book and embrace its uniqueness, and experience the romantic side of God.

Stasi Eldredge writes, “God longs to bring this into your life Himself. He wants you to move beyond the childlike ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’  He wants to heal us through His love to become mature women who actually know Him. He wants us to experience verses like, “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her” (Hosea 2:14). And “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride” (Song of Solomon 4:9). Our hearts are desperate for this. What would it be like to experience for yourself that the truest thing about His heart toward yours is not disappointment or disapproval but deep, fiery, passionate love? This is, after all, what a woman was made for.” (pg 113)

Jesus is our Bridegroom and we are His Bride.  I pray that you will accept Him to romance you the way your feminine heart needs because YOU ARE HIS DARLING!  “How beautiful you are, my darling” (Song of Solomon 1:15).

Be Blessed,

Jackie

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LET’S PRAY:

Lord, how wonderful it is to know just how much You love us.  You loved us even before we came to be, and You are coming to take us with You as Your bride.  May we experience this romance with You every day.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

How comfortable are you with the idea of Jesus being your “Bridegroom” and you being His Beloved?  Is this a relatively new category for you to think about in your relationship with Him?

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If you are interested in sending Jackie a private message in regards to this blog, please email her at: Jackie@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

Lady In Waiting: Match Made In Heaven

As I re-read these six paragraphs for the third time now, I remember the thoughts the Lord put on my heart after reading this for the first time almost two years ago.  I highlighted many sentences, BUT this particular one stuck out, “courageously determine to pursue Jesus with your whole heart, soul, and mind”.  I had never heard it put like that before.  Those words changed me.  It was then I started to think about what a relationship with Jesus could be like.  Surely it couldn’t be like having a husband here on Earth, could it?  I remember specifically asking God that question.  Over the next few months He gave me reason after reason why it is not like having an earthly husband, IT’S BETTER.

I know what you are thinking because I thought the same things.  How can God hug me when I need a hug?  How can God really talk to me?  How can I ever have my dream wedding with God?  The Lord showed me the answers to all of these questions, and much more.

I have felt the Lord hug me before, His hugs are real.  It has been few and far between, BUT I tell you what, it was the BEST feeling I have ever felt.  I am confident HIS hug feels better than a husband’s hug.  The Lord talks to me every day.  He talks to me through His LIVING word, through the nudges he puts on my heart and through prayer.  We talk face to face, I just cannot see His face, but He sees mine!  Ok, here comes the tricky one, the dream wedding.  SIDE NOTE: Prior to reading this chapter, I had never thought of God being my “fiancé” this revelation intrigued me, and it also changed my dreams into God’s dreams for me.  Post having this revelation, I trust completely in the statement “The Lord gives me the desires of my heart” (Psalm 37:4).  This does not mean I will definitely get the wedding I have always dreamed of.  This statement means I will DEFINITELY get the life God has dreamed of for me.

Let this sink in and let’s think about this quote on page 22 “It will require a determined heart and more than a little courage to wrench ourselves loose from the grip of our times and return to biblical ways”.  Our times say you have to be married to be happy, you are miserable without a man to love you, and hold your hand.  You are incomplete without having a house full of kids and a perfect husband to go along with it.  Turn on television and all you see are “couples” that validate these ideas.  Watch any romantic movie and it leaves you falling for a false sense of what real love and real relationships are all about.  Look at the Bible and you will see the truth.  Nowhere in the Bible does it support the idea that you need a man to be happy, complete, or satisfied.  In fact, the Bible tells us, all we need is God.

Colossians 2:10

So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Philippians 4:19

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 63:5

You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.

I know there are some of us, including me at times, that know these truths, and are comforted sometimes by the words the Lord and loved ones give us.  But what about the times these words are just not enough because we still are eating alone on a Friday night?  We are still missing something to make us feel complete in Christ.  The Lord spoke to me my missing piece, “You were created for more than a marriage here on Earth; YOU were created for a perfect marriage in Heaven with ME, your Heavenly Bridegroom”.  WOW, Thank you Jesus for being my match made in Heaven.  When the encouraging words no longer bring me comfort the Lord’s words always will.  Knowing that I am created for God, for HIS purpose, for OUR relationship- will always be enough for me, even on the nights I have to order take out for one.

This is what God has shown me will bring a lasting comfort and how we can truly be satisfied solely in our heavenly fiancé.  We must train our mind, body, and soul with heavenly training.  We must go on a journey to find your satisfaction in God alone.  You must not sulk about having a ring less finger; you must EMBRACE the perfect, never-ending love of your perfect fiancé in Heaven.  When your mind gets filled with thoughts or feelings that are not from God, you must pray instantly and get rid of those thoughts.  Vow to God to love Him first, and to trust Him to guide you in the plan He has for you.  Pray about the desires He has for you.  Learn those desires, accept those desires, and live out those desires.  That is where you will be the happiest and feel His hugs!

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LET’S PRAY:

Lord, I thank You so much that You love us perfectly.  I thank You that You have a beautiful plan for us.  I ask that You help each and every one of us to live for YOU alone.  I ask that You get rid of any desires that we have that are not what You want for us.  We trust that Your desires are not only best for us but will also bring us the fullest measure of joy when lived out.  I ask for Your continued comfort and that we are able to experience Your hugs!  We love You so much, Amen.

You’re Assignment:  

Please answer any of the questions in the comment section below.  What is your missing piece?  Is it the same as mine?  Do you believe God really is your match made in Heaven?

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God Bless, 

Diane