April 20, 2024

Captivating: Chapter 7 Review – Romanced

HisFeet

 

Just the title of this week’s reading assignment is enough to make a romantic heart like mine inquisitive to find out what will happen in this chapter. Let’s see what our girlfriend bloggers had to say.

On Monday, Jackie told us that we have to understand that we don’t need to wait for a man to feel special, worthy, or beautiful. Jesus is our Bridegroom and we are His Bride.  Expect God 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).

On Tuesday, Tonya shared with us that when God pursues us, our hearts come back to life. When we allow our hearts to truly know God, and when we seek that intimate relationship with God , our hearts will begin to grow into the heart God intended for us to have all along.

On Wednesday, Carissa wanted to know if we know that God ‘gets us?’  You don’t need to hide your true self from Him; He created you to be just the way you are. So when you are talking to Him, you can just be yourself. He is your oldest, most true friend. ‘He knew you before you were even born!’ (Jeremiah 1:5).

On Thursday, Michelle asked a very important question, ‘Where has God been on your list of priorities?’  Whether God has been at #1 or He has been relegated to “if I have time,” God is still there…He is still waiting for you. He longs to spend time with you, and He will delight in you the very second you return to Him.

Girlfriends, at times when life seems to spin out of control, I find peace at the feet of my Father. When you feel lonely, put in some worship music and let His presence fill your life. God has good plans for all of us, we do not have to feel disconnected.  All we have to do is spend time with Him, allow Him to romance us.

Be blessed!

Edwina

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Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You for being our friend, confidant, lover, husband, our everything. We love You and we long to spend time with You, Amen.

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