The Bride of Christ

"How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob; how lovely are your homes, O Israel!  They spread before me like groves of Palms, like fruitful gardens by the riverside.  They are like aloe planted by The Lord, like cedars beside the waters.  Water will gush out in buckets; their offspring are supplied with all they need.  Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.  God brought them up from Egypt, drawing them along like a wild ox.  He devours all the nations that oppose him, breaking their bones in pieces, shooting them with arrows.  Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her?  Blessed is everyone who blessed you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you."  - Numbers 24.

This is a bit of a different writing from me, I don't typically write about things like this.  Today I was waiting to pick someone up at the airport but the flight was delayed.  As I was waiting in my car I pulled out by Bible and opened to Numbers 24 where this portion of scripture was highlighted and so I began to read and then felt compelled to share these thoughts.

What's happening in Numbers 24 is king Balak is afraid of the growing nation of Israel, he is worried they will attack his kingdom and overtake his land.  He contacts a prophet named Balaam and asks him to come and curse the people of Israel.  Balaam arrives but every time he goes to speak over the people of Israel God tells him to bless the people instead of cursing them.  The scripture in Numbers 24 is the third and final time that Balaam speaks over the people of Israel and he gives the words above, he is prophesying exactly what God tells him to say.

The words that Balaam releases are the pure words of God’s heart for His people, His bride, His church.  God looks at His church and says, "How lovely, how beautiful is my bride!  My people are blessed, they are healthy, and they are victorious.  I will protect them near and far.  Those who are with you will be blessed and those who are against you will not."

God does never says anything based on the current condition or situation.  If He teaches us all through the bible how important our words are, how much more important do you think His words are?  God speaks things as He wants them to be.  He looks at His church and calls us beautiful and blessed and protected.

How lovely is His bride?  Are beautiful are His people?  God looks at His bride, at His church and says this about us.  We are victorious, we are healthy, we are moving forward, and we are blessed.

Never let the ways things are determine the ways things are going to be.