As the Bride of Christ Lets Him Lead

 “My beloved responded and said to me,

‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,

And come along.

‘For behold, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

‘The flowers have already appeared in the land’

The time has arrived for pruning the vines,

And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.

‘The fig tree has ripened its figs,

And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.

Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,

And come along!’”

Song of Songs 2:10-12

 Imagine this scene:

        You enter a seemingly empty but magnificent grand ballroom, but then there He is. There is Jesus, dressed in His best, holding out His hand, awaiting yours, and saying, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along.”

     It’s an invitation just for you. 

     You arise, and your crimson garment immediately turns white as He takes your hand- the hand of His beloved bride.  He secures you in a gentle embrace, and together you begin ‘THE DANCE’. 
      
      He leads in a beautiful dance. All you must do is relax in His loving arms and LET HIM LEAD.  

        With your eyes fixed on Him, all of your invisible defenses, all your sense of failure and shame, and all the subtle sin that has held you in its snare for far too long, just fall to the ground around your feet as if you have just shed old skin.  And you leave it behind as you dance along. 

     It’s a dance of life and love and abundance, and it is all His leading.  Amazed at how easy and effortless it seems because you don’t know how to DO this, you stand in awe of HIM.  What a gentleman!  And when your feet get all blistered and tired, He picks you up and cradles you in His arms and keeps dancing. 

     Oh, to follow His lead through this unpredictable life- to follow Him through the good and through the fiery trials- as "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2 Timothy 3:12.  Oh, to stay there in His arms of love and power and take refuge there and not run away and head for cover.

“In repentance (returning) and rest you shall be saved,

In quietness and trust is your strength.”

But you were not willing,

And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,”

Therefore you shall flee!

“And we will ride on swift horses,”

Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.”

Isaiah 30:15, 16

     Do not be one who is unwilling.  There is no escaping.  But there is peace in our Savior’s loving arms.  We are a people who want to be DOING something.  Repentance, rest, quietness, and trust just seem a little too simple and not enough.  So we begin to take the lead in the dance and direct the next step and then the next and the next until we look around and find that we’ve stepped off that ballroom floor. Without even realizing it, we have taken ourselves out of the dance, and we long to be back there.  

       He is waiting with outstretched arms, saying, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one and come along!”

“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,

And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.

For the LORD is a God of justice;

How blessed are all those who long (wait) for Him.”

Isaiah 30:18

     How He longs to be ENOUGH- 
                              to truly be all you want and need because He IS all you need.

(Spend some time meditating on Psalm 91.  "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!...under His wings you may seek refuge;  His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.")