"And I, John, saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It was a glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her wedding." --Revelation 21:2, tlb
The bride-to-be stood motionless, staring in the mirror for what seemed like an eternity. She had worked hard to prepare for this moment. Her hair and makeup were works of art, and her dress was stunning. Never before had she felt so perfectly beautiful. But something was still missing. Something had gone terribly wrong.
Where were her bridesmaids? Where were her guests? Had she not made it clear to everyone that this day was coming? The most glorious day of all time? She glanced over at the open guest book beside her—blank. The gift table—empty…except for a stack of unopened letters. Were those the wedding invitations she should have sent out? No, they couldn’t be. She was sure she had mailed them weeks ago and crossed that item off her list.
The bride fumbled through the pile. Every letter was addressed to her, and each had been sent from the same person—her Betrothed. Of course she recognized His handwriting. She had read His letters before—long ago—but the wedding plans had kept her so busy that there really hadn’t been any time to read His letters. There will be plenty of time to get to know my husband after the wedding, she had thought.
The bride sifted through the pile, looking for something without really knowing what. Tears of disappointment blurred her vision, but she stopped at a particular letter. Her eyes brightened as she read the familiar phrase her Prince had written on the envelope: “I can’t wait to see you, My dearest princess! I love you!” A sense of eagerness overcame her, and she began to open the envelope. But just then she heard the sound of the most beautiful music she had ever heard. The wedding march had begun! She dropped the letter and ran toward the large double doors that opened into the sanctuary. The sweet music filled the empty hall. Where were her friends? Her family? Hadn’t they gotten their invitations? Maybe they were too busy to come? She wrestled with these unanswered questions as she slowly walked down the aisle of the large and gloriously decorated sanctuary. Her eyes danced about as she absorbed the indescribable beauty of her surroundings. Then, suddenly, everything around her seemed to blur as she caught sight of Him.
He looked so tender and loving standing there at the end of the aisle, patiently waiting for His bride to approach. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen, only her Groom and what appeared to be stacks and stacks of wedding presents. She had heard that her Prince had prepared many gifts for His bride, but this was truly overwhelming.
She always knew her emotions would run wild on her wedding day, but nothing had prepared her for the intense flood that filled and overflowed her heart. As she approached her Groom—her Prince—she felt her heart race and her face flush with shame and embarrassment. It hit her suddenly like a stabbing jolt of reality: He had done everything to prepare for this day. He had done everything to woo her, to bless her, to capture her heart, to rescue her…and she had done nothing! She had nothing to offer Him. No gifts. No guests. She had labored and sweated over all the wrong things and for all the wrong reasons. The depth of her shame was so intense that she grabbed the hem of her gown and turned, ready to run away. It was then that her eyes met His.
There she saw something in His gaze that was more intense than her shame, more powerful than her guilt. That “something” was greater than anything she had ever felt before. She turned back toward Him and slowly continued down the aisle. Then it happened. Not all at once, but gradually. As she walked…as she approached her Prince…as she stared into His tender eyes…her shame began to melt away. Closer. Closer still. Now she could see it: The look on His face was one of pure love, the kind of love that says, “You are Mine, My princess.”
As the bride-to-be stepped up to stand next to her Groom, every negative emotion loosed its grip on her and departed forever. Every pain that had burrowed its way into her soul disappeared for good. The Prince extended His hand and took hers. As they stood there face-to-face, she realized that her life was finally complete and her joy more full than she had ever dreamed possible. The Prince smiled and gently wiped away the tears from her cheek. He then embraced His new bride and said, “You will never cry again, My love. Welcome home.”
If you know Jesus as your Savior, then He is your Prince, you are His princess, and this story is about your glorious day. However, the end of this story and the fruits of that day are, to some degree, up to you, His bride-to-be. By God’s grace, will you be ready to meet Him face-to-face on that majestic day of His return? Are you ready for your Prince? Does the way you live your life today reflect that you are His? Do you need to take the time to fall in love once again with the One who gave His life for you? Are you ready to discover your “happily ever after”? Do you need Him to reveal Himself to you in a very real and personal way? Is it your heart’s desire to live a passionate, Christ-centered life? Do you need Him to set you free to live in the complete freedom He has already won for you?
If your answer to any or all of the above questions is yes, then I invite you to take a seat and read about the greatest love story ever told—written for you—and discover how you can prepare yourself for your Prince!
Love Your Sister Princess,
Sheri Rose