Preparing the Bride

Shabbat Shalom dear friends!

It is my first blog since before our wedding! I would struggle to find words to share with you the power and joy of our Kingdom wedding ceremony, but fortunately quite a few people wrote to tell me the Kingdom pictures and parables they experienced while witnessing our wedding. Little by little I want to share these revelations with you.

This week's Torah portion is centered around the mishkan, or tabernacle in the wilderness. Carl & Julie Parker's Torah commentary this week states, "If we are looking for freedom in Yahweh we need to let go of our own ways and trust in His faithfulness. In so doing, we will see Him in far deeper depths of revelation and experience the building of a tabernacle/mishkan that cannot be destroyed. May we thus enter in to such an experience of His Presence. May our pattern and building be exactly as the Children of Israel built it so long ago. May it be after the pattern of the heavenly Tabernacle that Yeshua serves in today, the bridal chamber of the bride who is getting herself ready for the return of her Bridegroom (Ezekiel 43:10-12; Hebrews 8:1-13).

Reading this certainly brought back the memory of the seven circles I took around John while he was under the chuppa. This tradition is from the ancient Jewish wedding, and it is symbolic of the bride hemming her new husband in with prayer and protection. But those witnessing our wedding saw something even more incredible as I circled John. After I had made six rotations, John thought it was seven, so he reached out for me with his outstretched arm, but I quietly shook my head and kept walking. I knew I had one more rotation yet to make. Although we did not plan this, the Father used it to illustrate some profound revelation, which we received from friends Angie and Philip. Angie wrote, "As you were circling the Groom and you came around the 6th time, John held out his hand for you to join him, BUT you had to complete one more circle before entering in...I was suddenly filled with the intense awareness of how "patient" our God is in waiting for His Bride to enter the wedding chamber with Him. And, how much He longs for us to be with HIM as He says in Matt. 23:37...how he longs to gather us, but we are not willing...and so Yeshua must "wait" until the circling/time is complete and we (the Bride) can enter in, under the Chupah! The time is coming and He is preparing His Bride...Oh how I felt HIS desire and longing for us and HIS sadness when we "are not willing". This brought tears to my eyes, as you continued your journey and the Ruach filled my spirit with HIS longing! It was intense!"

And my precious friend Philip from Kenya, who was with me at the Jerusalem House of Prayer wrote this: "One thing that stood out and painted a picture for me was during the seven circles, you kind of got playful dancing away from John in a manner that seemed to say 'You want me? come get me!' When you didn't go in, but had to make another circle around, he slammed his thigh, playfully expressing a longing and a desire for you in a manner that portrayed he just could not wait any longer! And as much as we all are eagerly waiting for Messiah's return, I can imagine how much he slams His fist on His thigh, waiting for the Father to say, 'Go get your bride, Son!' I know He is longing for me even more than I am longing for him.'"

How thrilling that in our own wedding the people saw this picture of the Heavenly Tabernacle, and the Messiah's yearning desire to bring us into the bridal chamber with Him!

Sabbath Blessings,

Kelly