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Friendship with God: Praying for a Wedding


Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Revelation 19:7-8

I have probably prayed about finding a husband and getting married thousands of times over the course of my life. I have dreamed about my wedding since I was a little girl. (Except for that one season where I was so offended at God's leadership that I thought I didn't want a wedding. Fortunately, He healed my heart and changed my mind.) I spent hours thinking about the season, the location, the dress, the flowers and more details than my usually detail-avoiding brain could handle.

But, I haven't prayed about Jesus' wedding very often. I haven't spent much time and energy imagining how glorious the day of the gladness of His heart will be. I haven't asked Jesus what He's looking forward to and how He hopes that day will be. And, isn't this part of what a good friend does for one another?

My sister is getting married in June and we are spending lots of time and energy preparing for her wedding. I am happy to listen to her plans, help brainstorm, look at pictures of beautiful things from other weddings and even assist with her craft projects (which I am less skilled at) because I love my sister and I'm excited for her wedding. I want to do everything possible to serve her in love and share in her joy during this process. I am asking questions and helping her prepare for her special day.

Jesus is getting married on a day that we don't know, but we do know who He is marrying and we can prepare for His wedding by praying for His bride to make herself ready. We can pray for the church to grow in righteousness so that she will be able to wear fine linen on that day. We can ask God to grow His church, Jesus' bride, into maturity so that she can be a fitting eternal companion. We can pray for the gospel to go out in the world to "every nation and all tribes and people and tongues" (Rev 7:9), so that Jesus can come back and marry His bride. We can petition God to hasten the day of Jesus' return and fulfill the desire of His heart to live with men and women on earth forever.

I have set a goal to pray for two things for Jesus every day. 1) I pray Matthew 9:38, to "the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." I know that the good news has to go to every people group for Jesus to have His complete inheritance, so I'm asking God to send forth the gospel. 2) I pray Revelation 19:7-8 and I ask God to fulfill the desire of Jesus' heart and give Him in marriage to a bride who is ready. I ask God to let Jesus get married soon and make His joy complete.

Still Counting Gifts:
  • #684: One year in private practice counseling
  • #685: The great adventure that the past year has been and
  • #686: God's satisfying companionship along the way
  • #687: How God still reminds me that I am an intercessor first and a counselor second
  • #688: Sugar Jones' cupcakes
  • #689: Coffee when my eyes won't open properly and I have to be at work early
  • #670: Getting to visit middle school students through Rotary Academy
  • #671: Extra moments to connect with God
  • #672: How He stirs up fruits of the Spirit within me when I'm empty
  • #673: Mercy just when I am desperate for it

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