Practice scripture memory by writing Isaiah 61:3 in the margin.
“‘And provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty, instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.’”
Read Isaiah 61:10, relishing every single word. If you have received Christ as your Savior, describe your symbolic appearance.
“I am clothed in garments of salvation, arrayed in a robe of righteousness, and adorned with jewels.”
Write a prayer expressing what you’re feeling about our lesson so far.
“Lord, the imagery is beautiful. I am struggling with the over familiarity of the concepts, combining with the distraction that Daniel is home on spring break. Please help me feel these truths at a new, deep level.”
Think once again of the implications of the term bride. What are a few things the word bride implies that the word wife may not?
“freshness; newness; blushing; the focus of everyone’s attention, especially the groom’s; the center of the world, as she knows it; the queen for the day”
What is a young bride in love usually willing to do?
“Follow her groom anywhere, even if it’s strange or unpleasant”
Remember, Christ can’t lead us somewhere He refuses to go.
Describe a place where you followed your Bridegroom. What did He have for you there?
“I followed His lead to the study, then on to the first night to chat with each unfamiliar lady around me. I felt especially drawn to the one talking about her dogs as her family, and now I have a new best friend and so does Dana.”
Read Psalm 45:1-15. Write the specific characteristics or descriptions of your Groom that compel each of the following:
Your love for Him “the most excellent of men; God has set Him above all his companions by anointing Him with the oil of joy; He looks and smells nice, loves music, and is enthralled by my beauty.”
Your respect for Him “blessed by God forevermore; in majesty riding forth, victoriously in behalf of truth, humility, and righteousness; His throne will last forever, a scepter of justice will be the scepter of His kingdom.”
Your awe of Him “girded with sword, mighty one, clothed with splendor and majesty; His sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the King’s enemies; nations fall beneath his feet; I will honor him, because he is my Lord”
Your joy in Him “lips anointed with grace; Hus right hand displays awesome deeds; He loves righteousness, and hates wickedness”
Dearest Rachel –
Much of this particular chapter leans toward your quoting scripture, or putting it into your own words. But there’s one particular response that stands out, leaving me puzzling ever so slightly over the part of your timeline I wasn’t privy to (although I was eventually made aware of the connections you made). Was this when you first met Dana?
I could have sworn that you knew her for longer than a decade; indeed, while she hadn’t moved back near her hometown of Kansas City anywhere near as long ago as Kevin to Tennessee, it seems like that move was so long ago. You even drove down there a couple of times (including the time to help her move down there in the first place; you and Kerstin both followed the path of being “good friends” that weekend).
Of course, you may have been referring to these Bible study groups in general, as opposed to this particular one, necessarily; after all, the past tense doesn’t necessarily make it clear how recently past a certain event can be. You made many friends at these studies (including Erin, if I recall correctly); Dana may have been the closest one in mind at the time you were working on this study, due to her health and other personal issues that you made an effort to support her through.
***
On the subject of being a bride – and I have to confess a certain level of ignorance, being literally on the other side of the aisle in this case – were you able to imagine our wedding day when you explained the difference between the words ‘bride’ and ‘wife’? I confess to remembering nothing particularly blushing about you – and the rather washed-out video I have doesn’t help much – but I don’t deny you were the center of attention that day, especially in my eyes.
And while I’m on the subject, I may have to confess to a slight measure of disappointment in not being referenced in comparison to the Groom as described in Psalm 45. Then again, considering Who I’d be compared to, perhaps I ought to be grateful for that, as I’d no doubt suffer badly from any such comparison, eh?
Anyway, I can’t help but express my continued gratitude for taking the effort to write all these thoughts down (even as you admitted to being distracted by Daniel’s constant presence at home during this time), and keep all of these words for me to eventually find. It was doubtless never meant for me, but it’s still so good to hear from you in any sort of way. We’ll talk again later, honey.
Letters to Rachel 