Glorious Bride

"...a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:27, NIV)

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor—since they're already "one" in marriage. (Ephesians 5:25-28, the Message)


I love asking questions. If I meet someone for the first time, and I'm in a talking mood, I find myself drilling them with questions about who they are, what they enjoy, what causes their heart to come alive, etc. (At least if they don't start drilling me with questions first...)

I ask God a lot of questions too. One of my favorites (but probably also the most dangerous because it requires death to self in order to see it achieved) is, "God, what are the dreams of Your heart?" I want to know what He is dreaming about! I want to know the things that move His heart and makes Him want to show up in all of His glory and beauty.

One time I was telling a friend about this conversation I have a lot with Abba, and she replied, "But we are God's dream!" That kind of shook up the way I approached this whole question. I like it when that happens, though. God's dream isn't some far away, mystical thing that only certain people can participate in. And really, the answer isn't hard to figure out. God wants His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth. Period. And how is that accomplished? Through His Bride! Through the ones who are supposed to know Him the best--who have taken the time to learn how He thinks and how He speaks.

The amazing thing is that God loves to use us just as we are, in all of our incompleteness. But His love refuses to leave us the same. I love how the Message Bible says, "Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness." When God looks at His church, He knows that we have a lot of issues, but I don't really think that's what He focuses on. I think He focuses on who we are becoming, and that's what He speaks to--with words of love that evoke beauty and bring wholeness. It's easy to become cynical and judgmental of the church because of all of the obvious flaws, but it's a lot harder to have faith that we can actually become the Church God has called us to be. I don't want to be a cynic--that's a lazy way of refusing to live in the Spirit. Cynicism rots away hope and faith. I want to believe that God can make me and the church glorious--normal sons and daughters who have chosen the radical path of being carriers of His glory.

So, my question to God is beginning to change. It's more personal. "God, how can I live today to make Your dream come true?" The answer isn't difficult to hear--He tells me that He just wants me to listen and obey Him. My prayer then becomes, "Okay, Jesus. I know what You desire, but I need You to be my strength. I can't do it on my own." I think He really likes that prayer because it lets Him show up in all of His beauty to make His name glorious on the earth.