The Bride and Her Bridegroom

“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.” Rev 19:7

There are two types of love for God and both are good. The first and more common is the grateful kind of love we have for all the wonderful things God has done and does for us. The countless times he forgives us, his grace, his mercy, his provision...the list goes on. The second, however, is not because of anything he has done for us but arises in our hearts simply because we were made to love him. This is bridal love.

Song of Songs celebrates the love between a man and woman, without any mention of children, or other aspects or benefits of marriage. Not that these are not important or God’s idea, but the emphasis is love for the sake of love.  

“My beloved is mine and I am his...” Song of Songs 2:16

The man, woman and their friends all rejoice in this love. Yet at a point, it seems the woman has lost her beloved because she hesitates to open the door for him:

“...Listen! My beloved is knocking: ‘Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.’ I have taken off my robe—must I put it on again? I have washed my feet—must I soil them again?... I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer.” Song of Songs 5:1–6

Jesus is Emmanuel, he is always with us. Yet it seems we can lose him when we allow our love for him to dampen, even if for a short time. We can feel distant and that fire we once felt in our hearts, begins to go cold.

So how do we keep bridal love aflame in our hearts? How do we not miss out on the Bridegroom?

In Matthew 25 Jesus spoke about five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. When the bridegroom came, the wise virgins were ready, because they had oil.

Oil is costly. Intimacy is costly – just ask Abraham or Moses! But if we will pay the price for intimacy with Jesus that keeps our love for Him burning brightly in our hearts, we will always be ready for him when he comes. And he is a reward that far outweighs any cost.

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” Rev 2:2–4

First here can mean first chronologically or in order of importance. Love for Jesus is of first importance. And everything else flows from there.

So let’s pray for first love, for bridal love, because the bride makes herself ready for the one she loves.