Identity: Betrothed

"And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord."(Hosea 2:19, 20 ESV)

In three weeks Rob & I will be celebrating our love for each other & making a declaration & commitment of that decision as we exchange wedding vows. All of that is really a fancy way of saying, "I'm getting hitched!".

I have spent countless hours & a good amount of resources planning the event over the past two months. Finally, last week I stopped & realized I should probably sit down & write my vows. It was great to take time to reflect on my love for Rob & the journey that we have had together. I knew that in writing my vows I wanted to be sure to make realistic promises to him & to understand that in the areas where I am lacking (& he is lacking) we will lean on the Lord for completeness as our covering & the One who binds us. Together we are entering into a divine agreement that will forever join us together as one.

Marriage is an earthy shadow of the Lord's relationship with His church. The Lord has given His promises (vows) to us & has also established His expectations of us as His bride. In the book of Hosea, the Lord tells the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer. Not only is Hosea to marry her, but he is to love her unconditionally & call her to himself when she leaves him for other lovers. Hosea even purchases Gomer when she is being sold into slavery & again brings her home as his wife.

We do this. I know there have been many times I have sought after other "lovers" instead of seeking after the Lord. He bought me at a very high price- with Jesus' blood. I am His even when I fall away. He wants to romance me. Hosea 2:14 says that He allures us & speaks tenderly to us. We are His bride, in fact the Bible calls us "the bride of His youth". He yearns for us. He ardently loves us. He is passionate for us. He is burning for us.

As I prepare to enter into this new covenant of marriage with a man who I yearn for, burn for, am passionate for, & love to the deepest part of my being, it causes me to fall more in love with my Saviour whose love for me knows no bounds.

I am betrothed.