The Desert and the Bride

The Desert sucks.

Figuratively and literally.

I know.

I've lived in both.

I won't lie. I've wondered what God was doing during some of these desert times. The times when I am seeking Him and there is nothing but silence. The times when I need to be comforted and I get another thorn in my side (usually my backside!). The times I hoped someone else would understand where I'm at and I get a blank stare.

How do we make sense of this silence? Of this seemingly lack of caring by the God that we've all been told loves us? I'm not saying I've got a total handle on it, in fact, I think I've still got a little desert walking to do, but the only way I can make sense of it is understanding the Bridal Paradigm.

When I look at the end of the Bible, which tells us about the end of all things, this is what I find
(Actually, the Bible is full of Bridal symbolism, and it's a pretty interesting study.) :

Rev 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And the sea no longer is. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain; for the first things passed away.

Rev 21:9 And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Can you sense the excitement in the angel's voice as he shows John the Bride? Have you ever met a bridegroom that was not passionate for his bride?

The culmination of human history will be a wedding ceremony! The final state of God's people will be as a Bride adorned for her Husband. God is preparing us for the ultimate wedding ceremony. It is in this reality that I need to interpret God's dealings with me.

The attitude God has taken toward us has never been one of pity, irritation or impatience. He has succumbed neither to despair nor a performance orientation. His attitude has always been that of the delighted Father, preparing the perfect partner for His perfect Son. The Son's posture has eternally been that of the enthralled Bridegroom, captured by the beauty of one created specifically to be His counterpart. The assurance of the power of God guarantees that at the end of it all we will be what He intended. - Gary Wiens

How does the desert play into this scenario? I think the book of Hosea gives us a sense of God's heart towards His Beloved.

In the context of Israel's "harlotry" as she chases after other lovers:

Hos 2:13-16, 19-20
And I will visit on her the days of the Baals, in which she burned incense to them, and she adorned herself with her nose-rings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers and forgot Me, says Jehovah. Therefore, behold, I will lure her and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to her. And I will give her vineyards to her from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope. And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be at that day, says Jehovah, you shall call Me, My Husband, and shall no more call Me, My Baal. And I will betroth you to Me forever. Yea, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth you to Me in faithfulness. And you shall know Jehovah.

The desert time. The times of silence and despair. The times of confusion and hopelessness. They are a necessary part of the preparation. Our trouble (Valley of Achor) will be turned into a doorway of hope. God is wooing us back. Restoring us. Preparing us for a deeper sense of his presence. Opening the doorway for communication with his heart in deeper, more full ways. And songs will spring forth from our hearts....