God is seeking after His Queen—a mature Bride who has a heart for her Groom.
By Steve Porter
The Bride Makes Herself Ready
“Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.” (Psalm 45:9)
“Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” (Esther 2:17)
There's nothing more charming than a woman in love, preparing to wed the man of her dreams, especially when that woman is the beloved and beautiful Bride of Christ who is smitten with her King!
In Psalm 45, we read about an upcoming royal wedding where the queen wears a one-of-a-kind stunning gold gown. The bridegroom, who was also a king, naturally had his pick of all the honorable virgins in the realm. Kings' daughters were among thy honorable women, but he searched for, and found, his one and only beloved. “…upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir” (Psalm 45:9).
At that time, the gold of Ophir was the purest, most valuable gold found anywhere, and this bride wore it from head to toe. As we can only imagine, she was a sight to behold as she was “…brought unto the king…” (verse 14). And because she was completely devoted to her man, with eyes for only him, she was in a class by herself and more beautiful than any other virgin. Her gown was woven of rare and precious materials with incredibly fine hand-work. Unlike any other gown ever made, its threads were made of pure gold, embellished with dazzling gems.
When her moment came, she walked slowly toward her King with adoring crowds watching, but she only had eyes for Him. Accompanied by an orchestra made up of stringed instruments and horns the sound was glorious. Following her was a long line of virgins, dressed in white finery, singing and dancing with great rejoicing. Together they approached the waiting groom.
Finally, we see her standing beside her beloved, and the crowd goes wild with joy because this isn't just any royal wedding. It's the wedding of all time—the royal wedding of our Savior, Jesus Christ and His Bride. “…the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace” (Psalm 45:14-15).
Can you imagine such a sight? The greatest Holy Ghost celebration ever! These nuptials are the culmination—the very reason for all creation! The groom, King Jesus, studies His beloved with eyes filled with tender love—toward the redeemed of all mankind, dressed in the very righteousness of Christ! She is gloriously covered in His favor, ready to be His Queen!
This is the heartwarming picture exemplified by the wonderful, courageous story of Esther, a foreshadowing of the wedding of the Bride and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Preparation of a Queen
In Esther 1:12 it says, “But when they conveyed the king's order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come, this made the king furious and he burned with anger.” When the queen was summoned to come before the king, Vashti decided that she didn't feel like it. What did the king do when she refused to come? He became irate because nobody, but nobody, was allowed to refuse a request from the king. Vashti is a type of the flesh, the willful, rebellious side of our human personalities. (Photo via Steve Porter)
So here we see the king rejecting the rebellious Vashti and seeking to replace her with a new queen. We see this same confrontation going on inside each and every one of us. God is seeking after His Queen—a mature Bride who has a heart for her Groom. And just as the king became angry and rejected the rebellious nature of his queen, we should also reject our carnal desires and become that wise virgin of Matthew 25, devoted to our King.
I can remember taking long walks at night, talking with the Lord. As I walked by each house, the Lord would ask me to pray for that family to make room for Him. He spoke to me about the need for preparation, the need to keep oil in my lamp. He said, “Steve, do you value the anointing? Do you really want it? The greater the preparation the greater the anointing.” He spoke to me about the value of spending time in His presence, resting in His glory, and being content to just be with Him. He said to prepare because now is the time…as favor rests upon those who prepare!
In Esther 2:12-14 we read, “Before each young woman was taken to the king's chambers, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. When it was time for her to go to the king's palace she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. That evening she was taken to the king's private rooms and the next morning she was brought to the second harem where the king's wives lived.”
Look closely at the process this beautiful bride Esther went through: a year-long purification process, preparing her for one night with the king. In other words, she didn't go strolling into his chambers and say, “Hey, I'm Esther.” In fact, she went through months of preparation and she had to soak in certain types of ointments and perfumes and fragrances. She had to be as attractive as possible to vie with other contestants for the attention of a king in order to save her nation from extinction.
Did you know that, just like in the story of Esther, there is also a purification process through which the Lord takes His Bride where she's soaking and saturating herself in the ointment of the Holy Spirit? She is being purified, prepared to be that mature Bride He is seeking, the One she will love and serve with all her heart forever.
Steve Porter is founder of Refuge Ministries. He believes that, through the presence of God, healing takes place. He has a passion for conducting presence-driven intimacy conferences, missions, and restoration ministry. He resides near Rochester, NY. Steve Porter has written many books and has a special anointing to bring forth the deep truths of the Spirit, with a clarity and simplicity that draws one up into a closer walk and deeper relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Steve's passion is conference speaking and writing devotional books that draw the reader into the very presence of God.
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