All little girls love fairy tales and as we get older, we fall in love with romantic comedies. All of these stories have a common theme. They show a beautiful woman longing for true love. They show her meeting the man of her dreams who is a handsome, valiant man who battles all sorts of obstacles to win her heart. They show him triumphing over all obstacles and professing his undying love for her. These stories always end with the woman accepting his love and the happy couple gets married and they live happily ever after.
A woman’s longing for romantic love is a
wonderful thing and the good news of the gospel is that we can all experience the
most passionate romance of our lives by giving our hearts to Jesus Christ, the Prince
of Peace. He can take us on a romantic
adventure like no other because he is “The One” we are all searching for.
The
One who knows and understands the very depths of our hearts:
“Lord, you have probed me, you know me; you know when I sit and
stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My travels and my rest you mark;
with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord,
you know it all” (Psalm 139: 1–4)
Every romance begins with an initial attraction,
followed by time spent in each other’s presence, revealing ourselves and
getting to know each other. When we embark upon a romance with Jesus, half the
work has already been done because he already knows us intimately. Jesus knows
our every secret thought, our most closely held dreams and our deepest
insecurities. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He understands our
hearts perfectly and loves us exactly as we are. We don’t need to impress him
or hide our true feelings. We can fully be ourselves and trust that we are completely
accepted and understood, even all our faults, sins and weaknesses. All we need
to do is open our hearts to him and spend time getting to know him. As we spend
time in his presence in prayer and reflections on Scripture, he reveals himself
to us. In this way, we embark on a journey of a lifetime because our minds can
only begin to fathom the depths of his heart.
The
One who pursues us relentlessly and never gives up, even when we turn away from
him.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those
sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen
gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!” (Luke 13:34)
No matter how much we reject him and think
we don’t need him, Jesus pursues us. We wound his heart when we turn away but
he forgives us completely and keeps pursuing us, longing for us to turn to him
and accept him into our lives. He is relentless in his pursuit to win our
hearts.
The Perfect
Gentleman who patiently and lovingly waits for our response:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me” (Revelation 3: 20)
Jesus longs for us and thirsts for us. He
pursues us day and night, knocking at the door of our hearts, hoping that we open
the door to let him in. Although he deeply desires to commune with us, he never
enters our hearts unless we invite him. However, once we open the door to him,
he enters eagerly and keeps inviting us to give more of ourselves to him and
fall more deeply in love with him, just as he completely gives himself to us.
The
One who fights valiantly for us:
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s
friends” (John
15: 13)
Jesus died for us while we were still
sinners. He gave his entire self for us, holding nothing back. He made the ultimate sacrifice, enduring
unimaginable cruelty, torture, and humiliation to prove his love for us. What
more can we possibly ask for?
The
One we can trust to always be there:
“I will never leave you nor
forsake you” (excerpt from Joshua 1:5)
“I am with you always, until the end of the
age” (excerpt from Matthew 28:20)
We long for a lover that we can trust; one
who will never abandon us and will always be with us, no matter what happens. We
have that in Jesus who promised us, time and time again throughout Scripture,
that he will never leave us or forsake us. He will always stand by our side in
complete fidelity. We can be secure in his loyalty and faithfulness to us.
The
One who takes care of our future:
“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord,
plans for your welfare, not for woe, plans to give you a future full of hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
In Christ, we have a lover we can depend on.
We can be completely secure in the present moment and have no worries about our
future because he will always be there for us, taking care of our needs during every
stage of our lives and consoling our hearts during difficult times. We can be
like the woman described in Proverbs 31:25 who “laughs at the days to come," joyfully
anticipating the future, free from anxiety.
The
One who promises us “happily ever after”:
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant….
Come share your master’s joy” (excerpt from Matthew 25:23)
“The wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself
ready….Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb”
(excerpts from Revelation 19: 7-9)
Jesus has promised us heaven, an eternity
of happiness united with him and rejoicing in his love. This will be an
indescribable experience of living “happily ever after” with our Prince of
Peace.
Ladies, our search for “The One” can end
right now because “The One” is only a prayer away. He is Jesus Christ and he is
longing to begin a beautiful romance with each and every one of us right now.
Whether you are now beginning a relationship with Christ or you’ve known him
and loved him all your life, I invite you all to say this little prayer to
confirm Jesus as the love of your life:
Dear Jesus, you are the one I’ve been searching for all of my life. You
love me more than words can describe and I am now ready to return your love.
I now I accept you as my Lord and the love of my life. I give myself
to you completely (mind, body, heart and soul), holding nothing back. From this
very moment, I dedicate myself to knowing you, loving you and serving you. I
ask your forgiveness for all the times I have not returned your love. I place myself completely under your loving
authority and ask you to teach me to love you more deeply each day.
I welcome you eagerly into my heart and look forward to a beautiful romance
with you and to being united with you in heaven “happily ever after."
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