Acts America

His Joyful Radiant Bride

“Joyfully the radiant bride turned to Him, the one altogether lovely, the chief among ten thousand to her soul, and with unconcealed eagerness to begin her life of sweet companionship with Him, she answered…(Song of Solomon 8:14[A] Amplified)

I believe with all my heart there is a call coming from heaven for a people to be the bride of Christ. What a privilege lost humanity has to hear that call and give themselves to God until He fashions them to be the radiant bride of His Son. Paul said to the church at Corinth, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2) Paul was stirred with a godly jealousy to present Christ a people that loved Him with all their hearts and desired to give themselves totally to Him. I believe Paul understood the heart of God that is expressed in the Song of Solomon when it spoke about that joyful radiant bride.

As you study the Song of Solomon, we see a type of the church, as she should be consumed with her love for Jesus. There is a progression of preparation and growth as she is fashioned to become the bride of Christ. “Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25[B]-27) This work of grace is about the inner man, the hidden life, the longing of the heart to have Him as your life’s love. This door of intimacy and communion is open to all that will give their hearts to Jesus Christ and allow Him to be the Lord of their lives. You can choose by the grace of God to be a joyful radiant bride that is continually turning to Him who has become the chief among ten thousand to your soul. Grace will stir you to have an unconcealed eagerness to have a life of sweet companionship with Him.

Hearing The Call In The Daily Walk

As you open your heart to Him, He will gladly walk you through the daily process of moulding you into His bride. Let us look into this process and see how grace will develop this good work. “(I can feel) His left hand under my head and His right hand embraces me! My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, My love, My fair one, and come away. For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing (of birds) has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth and ripens her green figs, and the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance. Arise My love, My fair one, and come away. (So I went with Him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved, shepherd said to me) O My dove, (while you are here) in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. (My heart was touched and I fervently sang to Him…) (Joyfully the radiant bride turned to Him, the one altogether lovely, the chief among ten thousand to her soul, and with unconcealed eagerness to begin her life of sweet companionship with Him, she answered) make haste, my beloved and come quickly like a gazelle or a young hart (and take me to our waiting home) upon the mountain of spices!”(Solomon2:6,10-15{A};8:14Amp)

In the midst of these verses we see the bride and the beloved. As they commune together the beloved speaks to the bride the same words on two occasions. In verses ten and thirteen He says to her, “Arise, rise up, My love, My fair one, and come away.” The time has come for her to rise up and come away with Him. The time has come for the bride to progress, to move forward, to come away with Him for who He is. She had said to Him, “Draw me! We will run after you!” (Song of Solomon 1:4[A] Amplified) Now, He is calling her to come another step closer to being that radiant bride who would make Him the chief among ten thousand of her soul. This is another step closer to an unconcealed eagerness to have a life of sweet companionship. It is in the daily walk that she must respond to the call to come away with Him. But why now? Why did He want her to rise up now?

The Winter Is Past

The beloved has just brought her through a very important season of her young life. It was a time He had purposed and orchestrated. It was a specific season that was designed to prepare her to be able to heed the call to rise up and come away with Him. We find why in verses ten and eleven. “My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, behold, the winter is past…” The beloved was saying to her this winter season is over. There will be others, but this one has worked its purpose. I can call you now to rise up, and you will heed the call. But, I first of all had to bring you through this winter.

Why was the winter important to the beloved? What did it represent in her progression and maturity in being that radiant bride? This winter season that the beloved had brought the bride through was a time of testing in which outwardly there seemed to be little to cheer about. There appears very little outward manifestation of life. The winter is a time of temporary coldness, darkness and seemingly death. But, it is all for a reason.

The beloved knows He must bring you through that season where the outward is temporarily removed so you can see how much you had become dependent on it. It is in these times of coldness and darkness that you discover how much of your life was consumed in those outward manifestations that are no longer there. You begin to find out just how much you were identifying with conditions that were only satisfying to the natural man. The winter season will open your eyes to see how much of your life and energy was distracted with many “things.” With the outward resources removed, you discover just how much or how little of the real life of Christ dwells in the inner man. We are able in this winter season to find out the real measure of our love for Christ. Now you can really see how much or how little you have with the Lord.

But listen, something tremendous is happening in the winter season, something that only takes place during this time. The sap, the power of life, all goes down to the roots. There is a concentration of the life and strength of the sap at the roots. In this time of testing and darkness, when everything outwardly seems to be checked, there is an increase within of the real power of the life of Christ. This is the power of life hidden in the inner man that is independent of all outward and perishable things. It is in this winter season that the hidden life is strengthened with the power of God’s love. Listen to what Paul said “May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the (Holy) Spirit (Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality.) May Christ through your faith (actually) dwell (settle down, abide, make his permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love. That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints (God’s devoted people, the experience of that love what is the breadth and length and height and depth (of it); (that you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience); that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!” (Ephesians 3:16-19 Amplified) Praise God! Look at the workings of grace in the inner man in this winter season.

• Reinforced with mighty power in the inner man
• Rooted deep in love
• Founded securely on love
• Strength to apprehend and grasp that love
• Really come to know the love of Christ
• Filled with all the fullness of God
• Filled and flooded with God Himself

I cannot overemphasize the privilege of walking through such an experience. But I must warn you also of the importance of embracing this privilege with a responsible, obedient heart. Too many come to this place and refuse this work of grace. Year after year, season after season passes them by without truly embracing the opportunity. What greater privilege could be afforded us than to be moulded into the radiant bride of Christ?

Winter Always Precedes The Spring

Remember, this winter season preceded the call to “rise and come away.” Who was it that brought her through this season of grace working in the inner man? It was her beloved who saw the bride safely through these winter experiences. It was all a part of the preparation for her to be in position to hear and heed hear and heed the call to “Rise and come away with Him.” The beloved knows exactly what it takes to position us to hear the call to rise up. Did you hear that? That is how much He loves us. The beloved does not want us to miss the call to come away with Him because He so desires our fellowship and communion. Therefore, there will be many winter seasons as we progress and mature and heed His call.

But, the beloved knows that the winter is followed by the spring. Did you get that? The beloved knew the winter would be followed by the spring and a new outburst of life. He had used the winter to strengthen the roots in preparation for this new spring growth. The winter has produced strong roots that desire only to love and apprehend Him. He has been doing a deep and silent work that He might possess the most inward part of the heart.

It is very important that you open your heart to Him in this time He has set aside for you. For the beloved desires for the spring to bring a freshness of life. “The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing (of birds) has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth and ripens her green figs, and the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance. Arise My love, My fair one, and come away.” (Song of Solomon 2:12-13) Spring has broke forth, and with it, there is a reminder to rise and come away with Him! Now there are outward manifestations springing forth. But listen, with all this outward growth, the beloved desires that it corresponds with the deep inner work of the winter. What will He do? He will now begin to deal with the outward manifestation that does not represent the workings of the winter season. He will begin to prune away all that is not like Him. The word will become that two-edged sword pruning away all that does not relate to the deep rooted love for Him.

This is why it is so important that you embrace your winter season. If you allow Him in the winter to strengthen the roots, you will be able to embrace the pruning. If you have become occupied with Him in the winter when there was very little outward manifestation, you will welcome the pruning of any new spring life that does not honor the inner work of grace. As the flowers appear and the birds start to sing, He will require it all to glorify Him.

What will be the results of this winter and spring experience if you embrace it with faith and obedience? You will have a strong deep-rooted love that is occupied with Him. You will be prepared to answer the call. Grace will stir you to “rise up and come after Him” as you allow Him to mould and make you into His Bride. The bride here in Song of Solomon answers the call, and so can you. “(So I went with Him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me”) (Song of Solomon 2:14[A] Amplified) As she began to come after Him, notice the beloved spoke to her. She is prepared now to move forward in her maturity. She is hearing His voice clearly.

Rest and Communion

The beloved has positioned her now for a place of rest and communion with Him. “O My dove, (while you are here, in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.” (Song of Solomon 2:14[B] Amplified) This work of grace has brought her to the secret place where she is sheltered in Him. The communion is so precious to the beloved that He calls her voice sweet and her face lovely. The bride responds to Him “(My heart was touched and I fervently sang to Him)” (Song of Solomon 2:15[A] Amplified) All this is the outcome of grace working in the seasons of the bride’s life.

Will you heed the call? Will you allow Him to bring you through your seasons of life that you will desire to fervently sing to Him who desires to hear your voice? Will you answer the call to be that joyful radiant bride that is continually turning to Him who has become the one altogether lovely to your soul? Will you say to Him who loves you “Make haste, my beloved, and come quickly and take me to our waiting home?” (Song of Solomon 8:14(B) Amplified) Will you be prepared as a bride adorned for her husband? (Rev. 21:2[B]) He loves you! He is calling today! Answer the call and come away. Come away from all that distracts and be that radiant bride that will bring honor and glory to the Person of Jesus Christ!

The Beloved is calling your name
Have you heard His voice today
He wants you to be His bride
Will you rise and come away

The seasons all come and go
To perform His work of grace
Will you sing to Him your song
As He looks into your face

He has prepared for you a home
A place in the heavens above
But you must heed His call
And give Him all your love

There is no greater joy
Than to be called to be His bride
All of heaven will stand that day
When you stand there by His side.