How To Date God

id you know, according to the Telegraph, in a life-time, women spend around 136 full days getting ready? That’s 3,264 hours, which is close to 9 years! I think it is safe to say; we spend a lot of time getting ready and trying to look attractive. Now, think about this. In our marriage with the Lord, are we spending the same amount of time trying to look good for him? Are we doing things that are attractive to him?  

Scripture teaches us that we are the bride, and Jesus Christ is the bridegroom. Ephesians sheds light on what Jesus had done for us in the realm of sanctification so that we may be presented unto our heavenly Father as a spotless bride. 

We know that Jesus has given up everything for us, in honor of that, are we still doing things that keep ourselves attractive to him? Are we still dating him?  

“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)

It’s time to get to work on our marriage with the Lord, and get back to doing things that are pleasing in his sight. How do we do this?  

I think an amazing example of how to date God is found in the story of Esther. Let’s dive into scripture and see what the Holy Spirit has in line for us in the realm of dating God. 

“Before a young woman’s turn came to go into King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics..” (Esther 2:12)

How To Date God: It’s All In The Preparation 

In this scripture, we read that Esther spent 12 months of her life in preparation to see the King. This unlocks for us the first key in how we should date the Lord. It’s all about preparation. Now, if Esther can do this for an earthly king, how much more does our Heavenly King deserve? Like king Xerxes waited for Esther to present herself to him in the full glory of her appearance, so Christ awaits us, his church, to present ourselves unto him. 

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7)

If Jesus is our bridegroom and we are his bride, this begs the question - what kind of bridge should the Lord be expecting to see? A bride that if fully ready to see him, or half-ready?  

In Matthew 25:1-10, Jesus unlocks the key components in the area of preparation and for those who are ready to see Him.  

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps[a] and went to meet the bridegroom.[b] 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” (Matthew 25:1-10)

In this parable, Jesus reveals the key to dating God. Only the ones who are prudent in their preparation were the ones that were truly ready to see him. This statement is striking. Do you want to see more of God in your life today? Let me ask you a question. What are you spending your time preparing for?  

What Are You Prepared For?

Like Esther, would you be willing to spend 12 months of your life preparing for your King? If you take a look at where you spend your time, you’ll find what you are preparing for. Are you distracted by the busyness of life? So much so that you never get alone with God and prepare your lamps with the proper amount of spiritual oil to see Him? Don’t let the oil in your heart run out before you see the manifestation of the Lord in your life.  

Another great example of preparing yourself to date the Lord can be found in Luke chapter 10, in the story of Mary and Martha.  

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:38-40)

Most of us can relate to Martha in the story, completely unprepared while trying to fix up the house as Jesus came into the room. Like Martha, before we make the commitment to sit at the table with Jesus, we are busy trying to get all of the arrangements in order. We are caught up in the business of life trying to get our careers in order first, or finding the right person date first, etc.… The point is, most of us live distracted by the cares of life, which exiles us from the perfect presence of the Lord.  

This story unlocks the second door for us in how to date God. We have to be in the correct posture! Meaning, we have to get at the masters' feet and not allow the tide of busyness to push us further and further away from spending time with the Lord. If we do not change our position, we will be like Martha and miss out on the very thing we need to meet the daily needs of our life.

Esther, in preparation for her King, spent 12 months applying the necessary fragrances that would please him. She knew that there were certain things that would please him, and it was in her delight to do it for him. This begs the question, do we ever ask the Lord, “Father, what pleases you?”  

How To Date God: Apply The Fragrance of Faith 

When you ask this question, you will find that scripture has a lot to say about what pleases the Lord.  

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him..” (Hebrews 11:6)

All of us want to be attracted to the one person we marry. What attracts the Lord? The fragrance of faith! There was a man in the Bible who displayed the right fragrance of faith that attracted the Lord. He is found in Matthew 8:5-13.  

“When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,[a] ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel[b] have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.” (Matthew 8:5-13)

In this story, we see that the faith of the Roman centurion brought pleasure to Jesus. In the same way, when faced with dire circumstances, if we react with faith we will bring pleasure to the Lord.  

It’s Time To Start Dating 

Are you ready to start dating? Spend time preparing for Him in the Word. Mediate on Esther 2:12 and ask yourself these questions:

•  What am I spending my life preparing for?  
• Am I more prone to look at my social media accounts than the Word of God? 
• Do I apply the fragrance of faith in my life? 
  

When you love someone, it doesn’t matter if it takes 12 months or 12 years, you will do anything to prepare yourself for them. Today, be prudent in your preparation. Don’t let the oil in your hearts run out. When life hits you on all sides, grab the fragrance of faith, and apply it to your life! 

References:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/december/17.56.html

https://www.crosswalk.com/family/singles/dating-jesus-the-single-cure-for-loneliness-11567469.html

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/queen-esther.html

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