I love this statement, “I am dark but lovely” This verse has helped me stay steady as I pursue deeper intimacy with the Lord. It has given me confidence to continue to press in to His heart and not shrink back when I am confronted with the weakness of my flesh. It gives me the assurance that God delights in me and calls me lovely, His dove, His perfect one, as I mature in my relationship with Him, even when I stumble!
Most of us could produce a rap sheet against ourselves that would unquestionably disqualify us from ever achieving the greatness God has called us to; our own accusations can even prevent us from pursuing a deeper relationship with the Lord. It is difficult to come before His holy presence when we see ourselves as sinful and weak in flesh. We are our own worst critics at times, and in spite of God’s abundant mercy and forgiveness, we often seem to place ourselves in a penalty box for a season until we feel we have paid the consequence of our mistakes. And, if it is not our own conscious condemning us, our enemy is always seizing an opportunity to steal, kill, and destroy us by magnifying our weakness as a superior truth over God’s truth and what He says about us. We become more focused on our weakness than focused on Jesus and what He accomplished when He was crucified for our sins.
In the progression of our journey with the Beloved, we have encounters where we are drawn into the King’s chambers and are exposed to His glory and light. These encounters are extremely pleasant to our spirit as we drink from His river of holiness, purity, and glory, but the closer we get to Him, the more the darkness inside of us is exposed. The more His light is revealed in us, the more we recognize our sin. When we really love God, seeing our sin and the weakness of our flesh creates a great tension within us and we can feel like we have failed Him. It is critical then that we understand that He sees us as beautiful and He delights in us even in our weakness. He sees the sincere intentions of our heart to follow and obey Him. He uses a different standard of measurement than we do. If we don’t understand that He loves us in our immaturity, being exposed to His glory and holiness could produce shame and condemnation in us and we would lose confidence to approach Him. How He sees us is a powerful truth to our spirit. We must receive His words of affirmation and His affections on a daily basis and allow the truth of His Word to transform our heart and mind that we might see ourselves as He see us.
God’s heart is moved by us when we are sincere about seeking Him and living for Him. It is amazing to think that the King of all Kings, the One whose reign is eternal, has chosen us as His eternal companion. He desires that we be with Him where His is, even now… not just in eternity! He has made every provision for us to be cleansed and holy, so much so that He has chosen to dwell in us and call us His holy temple. He uses the term “Bridegroom” as He describes His joy and passion for us; He is the pursuer in this relationship. He is not embarrassed to call us His bride! We are His special treasure and His inheritance. Even now, even as we are maturing but are still weak. We don’t have to wait until eternity to enter into His divine romance, He wants us to live every day in the confidence of His ravished heart for us and walk in the sweet union of His love.
Devotional Prayer
Lord, Your love for me is so far beyond my comprehension, You stagger my mind with Your passion and desire for me! Your affirmation gives me confidence that when I stumble I can run to You for help, and not away from You in shame. Oh, that You call me Your bride, to be Your companion, the object of Your affections, forever and ever, time without end, is so incomprehensible. That You see me as beautiful and lovely changes the way I see myself! Your delight is in me, and I am Yours. Thank You for Your amazing love that sustains me through every season in life as I mature in my relatio0nship with You.
That's so good Penny, I needed this reminder!
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