Our Journey with Christ: Ready for my Bridegroom

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland

Imagine . . .

The groom and his excitement on the morning of the wedding! The groom has waited years and years for this day! Many preparations have been made; everything is set and beautiful! The guests have arrived and are seated. He has not seen his bride all morning but is soooo excited to see her walking towards him down the aisle. The groom enters the ceremony and stands at the altar waiting for his bride. He is eager to marry the one he loves and his heart is racing. The music starts . . . soon he will see his bride,and they will be united forever!

The bride enters the room. The groom looks and his heart sinks. His bride is wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Her hair is undone and she looks like she just came out of bed. His bride has not made herself ready; she is not ready for the wedding. Can you imagine what the groom is feeling? The disappointment after all the excitement and sacrifice for the wedding! How can it be that his bride is not ready?

For the last 5 days, Monday, the 18th throuh Friday Feb 22nd, our team has been praying for the sanctity of marriage in America. (Read last post for a letter from Jason Hershey, the leader of Washington House of Prayer and YWAM DC, for more information and the heart behind the 5 days.)

Sunday night at our worship set, God laid on my heart Rev. 19:6-8.

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,

like a roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready.

Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

After I read the verses aloud and then prayed for the church of America to wake up to the sounds of thunder and prepare herself for the wedding that is to come with our bridegroom, Jason shared the story I wrote above about the bride not being ready. It was a dream he received during this engagement. As he shared, an overwhelming feeling of wanting the church of America to be dressed and ready for the wedding of the Lamb came over me. I became more and more excited about praying for marriage this week!

Monday morning, I woke up before my alarm with an excitement in my heart!

An excitement and strong desire to put on make up and wear a dress for Jesus!

I want to be found ready for my bridegroom and ready for the wedding of the Lamb!

For those who might not know me very well, that is VERY, VERY STRANGE. Honestly, I have not worn make up since we have been in DC, which has been 6 months! Also, the stranger part about it was that I was EXCITED about putting it on and getting ready! I went to the bathroom with a joy in my spirit and talked with my groom, Jesus, the whole time I put on my make up. As we talked, I shared my desire to be ready for Him when He returns. I felt Him ask me if I was willing to take the time and wear make up and a dress for the 5 days we are praying for marriage to "make myself ready for the wedding of the Lamb". My heart was so filled with joy and excitement that I said YES right away (even though it is not my custom to wear dresses and make up).

I then dug out my summer clothes (thanking God I did not send them back to the farm for the winter) and had fun looking and picking out a dress for that day. Everyday this week I got ready and dressed up for the Wedding of the Lamb! It was an amazing week of breakthrough in my personal life as God not only asked me to get ready physically but in my heart.

Monday