Isaiah 62:1-5
New International Version
Zion’s New Name 62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. 2 The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. 3 You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah,[a]
and your land Beulah[b];
for the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
Friday - January 21
Have you ever watched the Rob Reiner movie, The Princess Bride? It is an epic love story with silly, funny, and heroic adventures. Primarily, it is one man’s mission to find his beloved and live with “happily ever after.” I believe that one of the reasons why we love these stories is that they point us to the “Greatest Story Ever Told.” Through the prophet Isaiah, God declared, “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” At one point in The Princess Bride, the hero, Westley even appears to die (almost) and even loses all control of his body until his showdown with the evil villain, Prince Humperdinck, at which point Westley “rises” up and forces himself to fight. Sounds like Jesus fighting sin, death and the devil even to the point of his own death! That’s how much God rejoices over us.