elephant knees

we talk about the church being the bride and Christ the bridegroom a lot, in churches these days. for me it's always been kind of a floating term; how can a group of so many people represent one entity? what kind of suit does Jesus wear? and what's the point of the whole analogy anyway? i understand the general meaning behind it. tom and i used it in our wedding vows: just as Christ is head of the church so you will be head of our family (or something like that. i couldn't remember it 3 1/2 years ago, you think i'm going to be accurate now?) but finally i think i'm getting the meaning of this Christ and the church romance.

i'm reading gary wiens' book, _bridal intercession_, and he describes what this relationship looks like. i'm not very deep into it yet, but with what mike bickle says in the foreward and then the first chapter, this is what i've gathered. (i'll just quote because they say it so well). get ready to be excited about praying:

"...prayer that grows not out of our place of need, but out of God's passionate desire to commune with us as his Beloved."MB

"As we approach the last days, nothing is more important than growing in our understanding of the ways of God, so that even when we find His strategies unexpected or confusing, our hearts can be firmly established in the knowledge of His goodness and trustworthiness."MB

whether or not you believe we're living in the end times, the point is we were created to talk WITH God, not just at Him. we're not supposed to have this list of things we want to say, but to find out what He wants to say, too. it's called conversation and i've never really understood that in order to be in "relationship" i have to listen to him. to sit and be quiet, or ask questions and then wait for an answer.

so then gary wiens says, "And so He has spoken to us in various ways, with the consistent goal of engaging us in a dialogue about life in relationship with Him. this dialogue is called prayer, and its primary purpose is that we might come to know the heart of the One Who loves us and understands who we are and what we will become."

he goes on to talk about how God wants us to trust His intentions, like i trust tom's when he does things for me whether or not i can recognize it's because he loves me. He wants to be partners with us, not just this God in the sky who gave us a really fat book; somebody we use to explain things away, or question when we don't agree with what's going on in our lives or the world. it's humbling to think that, like tom says, the Almighty God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, wants to talk with me.

and then gary says, "We begin to say back to God that we agree with His agenda and His strategies, not only for ourselves and the things that concern us, but for every situation outside ourselves for which He gives us the strength to pray." i might even add "the strength and FAITH to pray". i think there's so much power in that, because sometimes, no matter how much i love you people, i don't have the energy in-and-of myself to talk with God about your needs.

i know this seems really random, but it hit me pretty hard this week. i'm looking forward to having a cup of coffee with the Almighty God, Creator of the heavens and the earth today. i'll ask Him if He wants cream and sugar, among other things...