A Beautiful Bride
Scripture Reading — Revelation 21:1-5
I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
In many weddings, as the groom waits joyfully, the bride, beautifully dressed in her wedding gown, is led down the aisle by her father.
The “bride and groom” theme resonates in human society as a picture of mutual delight, commitment, and faithfulness. The Bible even uses this image to describe the relationship between God and his people. Isaiah 62:4-5 tells us, for example, “The Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a . . . bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.”
The New Testament speaks often about the church as the bride of Christ. And in Revelation 21 we see a picture of the New Jerusalem, representing God’s people and the dwelling place of God, “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” In the new heaven and earth described here, all of God’s promises will be fulfilled, and we’ll be able to delight in full life with God forever.
In the meantime, we may feel unworthy of God’s love, knowing we are sinners. Or, perhaps for some of us, the ideals of joy and delight in marriage may not be a reality. Even in times of doubt and struggle, though, God himself is with us.
Hold on to Jesus in faith; he is watching over and holding on to you. He loves you and wants you to flourish and enjoy life to the full!
Lord, thank you for showing us the amazing depths of your love for us in Jesus. In his saving name we pray. Amen.
About the author — George Young
George Young, a native New Yorker, worked as a taxi driver in New York City before studying to become a pastor. Then he, his wife Ruth, and their children were missionaries for many years in northeastern Japan. They worked with ministers and believers from the Reformed Church in Japan to spread the good news of salvation in Christ and establish new churches. Now George and Ruth are retired and live in the northeastern United States, nearer to their children and grandchildren.
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