Only One Groom

"He gave Himself FOR US, but He gave Himself TO  US. He promised to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, 'til death does depart."

THE APOSTLE PAUL COMPARED THE LOVE OF CHRIST for the church to a husband and wife, saying He loved her and gave Himself for her. He made Himself responsible for her beauty and her nourishment and her comfort. He promised to supply her needs, to see to her health and safety. And because of his tenderness for her, she adores the ground He walks on. She reverences Him.

“And to the husbands, you are to demonstrate love for your wives with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to us, his bride. For he died for us, sacrificing himself to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God. All that he does in us is designed to make us a mature church for his pleasure, until we become a source of praise to him—glorious and radiant, beautiful and holy, without fault or flaw.” (Ephesians 5:25-27 TPT)

Marriage on earth is fraught with difficulties. Nothing about it is perfect and sometimes the enemy creeps in, sometimes life happens, but in the image God painted of it, we see something beautiful. We have become ONE WITH HIM. There is no seam between us, no place where He is not, nor where we end. By him were all things created in heaven and in earth, both visible and invisible. For him were all things created and by him all things consist.

This is not just who He is as Creator and as God, but who He is as the bridegroom, and who we are as His bride. He gave Himself FOR US, but He gave Himself TO US. He promised to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, ‘til death does depart, and He is infinitely reliable. Everlastingly merciful to this bride He loves. And eternally faithful.

Some have drawn Him as less. He is seen as shorthanded and unwilling at times. As cross and uncaring. But not so. In a bride’s desired perfection, there is only one Groom, only One who steals our heart. And He does so daily, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, with His gentleness and generosity. In return, we cannot help but hunger for His voice, and submit ourselves to His care and guidance. He is all things to us, and we are His complete desire. He never has enough of us, never ceases to listen to our voice, to desire our laughter, but He tends to us every waking moment.

That He is King of Kings, that He is God, that He is also Father makes His perfection that much greater. And our dedication to His promise to love us ever grows to a glorious height. Here is my all, Jesus. Here in what You have given me to do, and in your gaze, I will walk, humbled that so great a Man, Him the Son of God, would bow Himself to the depths of earth for me, and lift me from the ashes to place me clothed in honour at His feet.

“My heart is on fire, boiling over with passion. Bubbling up within me are these beautiful lyrics as a lovely poem to be sung for the King. Like a river bursting its banks, I’m overflowing with words, spilling out into this sacred story. Beautiful! Beautiful! Beyond the sons of men! Elegant grace pours out through every word you speak. Truly God has anointed you, his favored one, for eternity!” (Psalms 45:1-2)

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com