Adored by a New Name
“Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City” or The “Desolate Land.” Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,” for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his bride.” Isaiah 62:4
I was always jealous of Catholic girls. They got to wear the white gown and sparkly crown. Then in the event of First Communion, they got to
parade down the long center aisle at church to be adored by everyone there.
That was this little girl’s dream. My dream and I had a whatever-it-takes attitude. Nothing was going to get in between this girl and her white dress. So I had to settle for the opportunity at Halloween. Thanks to our local thrift store I dressed up in a sensational but a-little-too-big wedding gown. I paraded all through our neighborhood. Praise be! I had gotten my chance to be a bride.
But then the real thing came knocking on my door in my mid twenties. The marriage proposal went above and beyond. It was the stuff of legends. Whenever my David would share how he popped the question, the other guys would always say, “What are you doing to us? You’re making us look bad. How are we going to top that?”
I will spare you the cheesy details but I need to brag on David a bit. Not only did he ask with a beautiful ring but also he upped the bling with a tiara. He knew I was a little girl desperate for a crown, as I dreamed of being Miss America. Seeing as how I could no longer compete as a married woman, he knew my hopes for a crown would fall flat. So he had another idea. On February 21, 2005 as he placed it on my head, I became his princess and pledged to marry him.
I felt like a royal bride, which is every bit of what we should feel as daughters of the King. And our Dad is not just any king; he’s the King of Kings!
“Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City” or The “Desolate Land.” Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,” for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his bride” (Is. 62:4).
What a glorious verse. It paints a picture of the richest of relationships we will enjoy with him. We, the church – God’s people, go from being forsaken to his chosen! From being desolate to his delight! We are not only his beloved children; we are called his bride!
“He delights in them [the church] in time, as clothed with his righteousness, washed in his blood, and adorned with the graces of his Spirit; he delights in their company, to hear their voice, and see their countenance; they are the excellent in the earth, in whom is all his delight” (Walvoord, John F. & Zuck, Roy B. The Bible Knowledge Commentary).
Steep in that explanation of this verse. What once was a sin stained wedding gown, was washed by his crimson sacrifice. We are his Bride, cloaked in the white innocence of his righteousness. His grace adorns our neck like the radiant sparkle of diamonds accessorizing our dress.
My favorite part of the wedding ceremony is watching the groom gaze at his bride as she walks down the aisle. A sacred moment, a revelation of her beauty. His smile is ear to ear. A tear rolls down his check. His steadfast eyes don’t dare to be distracted. His gaze gives us a window into the delight he has in his bride. It reveals the depth of the adoration he has for her.
If an earthly man can adore his bride like that, how great must a divine God’s be in his daughters? I hope we are getting a glimpse.
Father, you give us a new name. May we take off the old and take on yours. We desire to be your delight! We are your claimed! We are your Bride! What you have brought together, no one can separate. Praise be! Love, Your Daughters
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