I never thought much of birthdays until Jeremy came along. Suddenly, my birth was a Christmas-esque holiday with month-long gift giving and celebration. He would’ve made you celebrate it too, if he could have.
And so, I was blessed with twenty-five years worth of memories, filled with concerts and plays, beach trips and amusement parks, presents and surprise parties, heartfelt cards and cheesecake. I was his princess and he wanted everyone to know it—especially me.
I don’t suppose birthdays will ever be the same without him.
Through my Bible app, the Lord gave me a gift this week, when Zephaniah 3:17 popped up as the verse of the day, reminding me that Jeremy wasn’t alone in celebrating me.
“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
Five sentences with five powerful assurances that I am still a treasured bride.
• God is with me. He is not a faraway God, unconcerned with the affairs of His people. He is right here, ever present and fully alive!
• God defends and protects me. He rescues me. Not only from the enemies around me and the fears within me, but also from the curse of sin and death itself. My God is mighty to save!
• God delights in me. That means He takes great pleasure in me. Think of the way a groom’s face lights up when he catches the first glimpse of his bride coming down the aisle toward him, toward a new life together. That’s delight! God looks at all who accept His son with that same exultant pleasure.
• God loves and comforts me. He quiets me with His love, shushing the noise until all of my doubts and fears fall away. “Do not fear. I am here.”
• God celebrates me. In fact, the Hebrew word for rejoice means to “spin around under violent emotion,” or basically, to dance. His great love for me compels Him to take me up in His arms and spin me around, while singing a beautiful love song over me. Can you just imagine?!
While I realize this passage is about Israel, I believe it is true for the entire eternal Bride of Christ. It speaks of a future time when, “after a time of hardship, our loving Lord dries His people’s tears, comforts their hearts, and welcomes them to a new world.” Oh, what a glorious day that will be!
It’s true; I will never again get to experience one of Jeremy’s birthday month extravaganzas. But I will be celebrated—most passionately—by the One who made me and then purchased me with the blood of His Son. He lavishes me with every good and perfect gift. He speaks words of love and blessing over me. He gives and gives and gives again. I am His princess bride. He is my adoring husband.
How wonderfully blessed am I to know such love! And so are you. Precious sufferer, let that sink in for a moment. You are loved with an everlasting love by the Creator, Sustainer and Savior of the universe. And He doesn’t just love you.
He dances over you.
Isaiah 62:5
…as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.