Isaiah 62.5 As a
young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a
bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. –
Isaiah, the Prophet
The second part of Isaiah’s prophecy is about
restoration, redemption, and rejoicing. God is not slow in getting things done,
and He truly delights in His people.
The above is a snapshot of what the coming day will look like: God rejoicing over His bride.
When is the last time you rejoiced? What was the moment
like? Did you laugh, did you cry, did you just feel all welled up inside?
Rejoicing is an experience of immense joy and happiness with a feeling of
exuberance and well-being. It’s a feeling so good that one becomes giddy. When
Isaiah said your God will rejoice over you, I thought, He’s gonna be giddy.
It’s hard for me to imagine that but it’s something worth thinking about and remembering: a giddy God.
I think our religion robs us of the giddiness of God –
that rejoicing over us thing. I don’t
know about you, but I was brought up believing God looked and acted a lot like
my parents. And when I finally came to the point of accepting God, I found Him
to be very different than I had imagined. (I loved my parents, but they were a
poor substitute for God even though their work-load in caring for and
disciplining me was a tall order.) I found God to be a Friend.
I know there are many who would say to me, Don’t get too familiar with Sonny-Jim, He is
a God of wrath and judgment and damned are those who rebel against Him.
Look guys, I get the whole judgment thing, but there is too much in Scripture
that tells me Jesus loves me, and God rejoices over me to make me see God only
as some powerful Deity with anger issues. (Especially against those I think
have it coming!)
God’s Grand Experiment was not to set humanity up to
fail, but to show us how much (unlike the gods of religion) He really likes and
loves us. We just have to see things His way. His way is not our way. His
thoughts are not our thoughts. He is going to bring His plan to fruition, and
those who’ve believed Him are rejoiced over. It’s not a matter of good or bad;
it’s about a giddy love that despite how miserable and failed we are, we’ve
chosen to put all of our eggs in the God-basket. We’ve delighted to be God’s
friend as well.
Rejoicing is loud laughter, giggling, smiling, hugging,
slapping one another on the back and being: giddy. Religion has no place for
giddiness. God does however… And God knows how to party!
Father, it’s a
celebration that no human mind has ever conceived. It’s a party where everyone
is honored, saluted, and gushed over. It’s a day when Your true feeling for
Your people pour out like a heavy rain and we bathe in the glow of Your
goodness, Your presence, and every tear is gone; and everyone is home. Thank You
for the invitation in Jesus – what a day that will be! Amen
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