Last week I wrote an article called The Real Coalition of the Willing, in which I referred to Genesis 24 and the story of Rebekah. Following that chapter through to the end we are told of the moment when Isaac, a type of Christ, and Rebekah, a type of Christ’s Bride, see one another for the first time :
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening and he lifted his eyes and looked and there, the camels were coming. Then Rebekah lifter her eyes and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel, for she had said to the servant “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master,” so she took a veil and covered herself. (Gen 24:63-65 NKJV)
There is something so profoundly beautiful in this prophetic picture of the waiting bridegroom, beholding his bride for the first time…… a spotless bride who has been diligently sought out by the trusted messenger (Holy Spirit) and who has been well prepared for this meeting. We are told it was evening. The bridegroom is deep in thought, wandering in the fields that surround his camp. No doubt there are servants also in the fields, tending his herds. His father is very wealthy and at every turn he is surrounded by the richness of his great inheritance. And yet there is something on his mind, something he has not yet found. Then he ‘lifted His eyes and looked’. It is the bridegroom who sees the bride before she sees him. He can wait no longer and begins making his way across the fields to meet her. In turn, the bride also ‘lifts her eyes’ and beholds him. Along the journey she has heard much of him because the servant has spoken of little else but the bridegroom, but even so she is not fully prepared for his majestic appearance. No doubt there are other men in the field carrying out their duties, but she perceives this man making his way towards her is no ordinary man. ” Who is this man?” she asks.
Do you get the picture? Is there a sense that the Bridegroom has begun to lift His eyes? Is it settled within us that He is worthy of all it has cost us to come this far? Are we still looking back, or are we too beginning to lift our eyes, forgetting what lies behind us, longing for nothing more than to behold Him, to be lost in Him and at the same time found in Him?
The words of the song below were given to me over ten years ago when the Holy Spirit first started releasing worship songs to me. They were beautifully put to music and recorded by a friend, Janine Epere. This song has been much on my heart lately. I hope it will also stir in you a yearning to go even deeper in Christ Jesus.
LOST AND FOUND IN YOU
(Song of the Bride) From Genesis 24: 58
“Then they called Rebekah and said to her “Will you go with this man?
And she said “I will go.”
All that I have ever known
Now laid aside, forsaken
“Surrender” is the cry I hear
By the Spirit I am taken
Good works and comfort, reputation,
All that have secured me,
Safety in all things familiar
Abandoned as He sets me free
Take me to the Bridegroom
I will go, yes, I will go,
There is no less that I can do
For I am lost and found in You
And if the cost is all I have,
To lay down all I’ve known,
Still, I have heard the Bridegroom’s Voice
My soul answers: “I will go”
Yes, I will go and not return,
Nothing less now can I give,
The choice is mine, I make it now,
In choosing death, I live!
Take me to the Bridegroom
I will go, yes, I will go,
There is no less that I can do,
For I am lost and found in You
And thousands of ten thousands
Shall be standing at my side (Gen. 24:60)
To celebrate our wedding feast
As the Lamb beholds His Bride
If I should lose all that I’ve gained
I’ll count it worthless waste,
To become both lost and found in Him
When my eyes behold His Face
Words: Cheryl McGrath
Music: Janine Epere
Subject to copyright, all rights reserved
© Cheryl McGrath, Bread for the Bride, 2013
Copyright Notice: Permission is granted to freely reproduce any Bread for the Bride articles in emails or internet forums, unedited, and providing this copyright notice is included. To permanently display an article on any static website please contact me for permission.
Thank you. This is beautiful and reflects the cry and song of my heart of late. Thank you. May the Lord continue to pull you in and bring you into full unity with Him.
Blessings in Christ,
Natalie
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“Are we still looking back, or are we too beginning to lift our eyes, forgetting what lies behind us, longing for nothing more than to behold Him, to be lost in Him and at the same time found in Him?”
Yes & amen. The Lord has so been pressing on my heart the need for a deeper, single focus on Jesus. Nothing helps one focus like being in love. 🙂
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And once we find the focus, nothing else ever looks the same. Thankyou Mr. Teague.
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Here’s a song you may enjoy, too, although I’m pretty sure you’d be familiar with it:
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Thankyou, yes a great song. No I wasn’t familiar with it.
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What a wonderfully inspiring entry! Is there any way to access the music?
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Thankyou. There is no way to access the music at this stage, but if I can work out how to transfer the song from an old CD on to You Tube I will do so 🙂
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No turning back, no turning back.
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