Psalm 45

Do you have a seat?

If you would open your Bibles to Psalm 45 with me.

I don't know if there are certain passages of the Bible that you feel really speak to you.

!

Things that you go back to time and time again.

Maybe you've got a few.

If I had to pick out one verse of the Bible that I feel really speaks to me.

It's something I want to read every day when I get up in the morning.

I would have to take you to Psalm 45 and the first line of verse 2.

The more you laugh, the more it hurts my feelings.

After some closer reading, I'm not sure this psalm is all about me.

But we'll see.

I think most of us have probably experienced a relationship at some point in our lives

that has gone somewhat stale at some point.

Where things just aren't the way they used to be.

Whether it's with a close friend.

Maybe your husband or your wife.

Maybe your parents or your children.

You used to get on so well.

Everything seemed to be just the way it was meant to be.

But then for no apparent reason, things just aren't quite clicking like they used to.

You don't share the same stories.

You aren't as open with one another.

Maybe you feel like they just don't care about you in the same way as they used to.

And to your knowledge, you've not done anything to make this change.

Not done anything to preserve the cold shoulder.

For some reason, you've just drifted apart.

And you've no idea why it's happened.

It can be a really miserable feeling.

And one I'm sure we all know to some degree.

Maybe you've felt that way about your relationship with God.

Life is falling apart around you.

Work is miserable.

Family life is difficult.

You pray and pray and pray.

But nothing seems to change.

You don't know what you've done wrong.

But for some reason, God doesn't seem to be listening anymore.

It's almost as if he's sleeping.

And if you've ever felt like that, you're not alone.

Most famously, the disciples, as they cross the Sea of Galilee.

Do you not care that we are perishing?

They ask Jesus as he sleeps in the bow of the boat.

Or the whole nation of Israel in Psalm 44.

Just look up there with me to verse 23.

Awake!

Why are you sleeping, O Lord?

Rouse yourself.

Do not reject us forever.

I mean, it sounds almost blasphemous.

God's sleeping.

But take a quick look through the sand.

And you can see the reason for their anguished cry.

Why they are wondering where God is.

Well, look at verse 9 there of Psalm 44.

But you have rejected us and disgraced us.

And have not gone out with our armies.

You have made us turn back from the foe.

And those who hate us have taken spoil.

You have made us like sheep for slaughter.

And have scattered us among the nations.

Verse 17.

All this has come upon us.

Though we have not forgotten you.

And we have not been false to your covenant.

Our hearts have not turned back.

Nor have our steps departed from your ways.

Yet, you don't seem to be doing anything.

Where are you, Lord?

What is going on?

The people of Israel cannot understand what's gone wrong in their relationship with God.

They've stayed faithful.

And yet, they are like sheep being led to the slaughter.

Everything that can go wrong seems to have gone wrong.

And God, despite their faithfulness, doesn't seem to be anywhere.

The people of Israel cannot figure out what's gone wrong.

Why has the relationship gone stale?

Why does God no longer care?

And it's been this way since Psalm 42.

From the beginning of the second book of the Psalms,

it's been a very sorry state of affairs.

The repeating refrain of Psalm 42 and 43.

Why are you cast down on my soul?

And why are you in turmoil within me?

Then we come to Psalm 45.

And it seems to be this seismic change of tone.

Those of you who are married,

I don't know if you've got a wedding album.

Or maybe a video of the day you got married.

Something that brings you back to that day.

The moment of union to one another.

Where you made vows to one another.

You make promises.

You make a covenant.

And that covenant stands firm through thick and thin.

Regardless of what it feels like,

however many years down the line,

a covenant is a covenant.

And when God makes a covenant,

you can be certain that it will stand forever.

And so what we have in Psalm 45

is the Old Testament version of a wedding album.

They didn't have photos, but they did have songs.

And this is a song about a day

when a covenant was made.

When a man and a woman devoted their lives to one another.

But this isn't just any wedding.

This is a royal wedding.

And the king, the bridegroom,

he is the one who is very much center stage.

So we're going to go through this Psalm

and see the day

when a man and a woman are united.

When they become one.

When they give their lives to each other.

We'll see the king in all his majesty

and the queen in all her beauty.

So as we go through this Psalm this evening,

we're going to sort of put together

this wedding album as we go through.

And we'll see six or seven different pictures

of the wedding

and bring back the memories

of these covenant promises.

And as we fill up the album,

we'll see how the Psalmist reminds

the people of Israel

and us

of the character of the king

and of his love for his bride.

Not to renew a relationship,

but to serve as a reminder

to a potentially worried bride.

The Psalm itself breaks down quite simply.

Verses 1 to 9 are addressed to the king.

Verses 10 to 15 are to the bride.

And then 16 and 17 are to the king again.

So we're going to look first at the king

and then at the queen.

So three characteristics or pictures

of the king.

His grace in verse 2.

His gallantry in verses 2 to 5.

And his glory in verses 6 to 9.

So firstly, the picture of his grace

in verse 2.

And who this Psalm

was originally written to

or about it

is kind of unclear.

But the best friend is probably

King Solomon

and his marriage to the Egyptian princess.

And to start off with,

that seems to fit.

I don't know what you find

most attractive in a person.

Maybe it's how they look.

Their wealth.

A good sense of humour.

At least decent personal hygiene.

It's probably necessary.

Maybe it depends on the clothes they wear.

Or if they're trustworthy

or kind

or confident.

That there are lots of different things

we can find attractive

about someone.

But look at what makes this king

the most handsome

of all the sons of men.

It's not his wealth

or his confidence

or his fashion sense.

Verse 2.

The handsomeness of the man

is in the words that he uses.

It's the grace

which has been poured

upon his lips.

The gentleness of his words.

The wisdom with which he speaks.

That that is what makes him

more attractive

than anybody else.

He is a delight to listen to.

What we often think of kings

as ruling with

authority

and might

and power.

But a king would rule

over his subjects

most of the time

with words.

It's how our leaders

still rule over us today

in so many ways.

But our own leaders

it feels like

rarely do very well.

I mean I don't really care

where your political

allegiances lie.

I don't think you can deny

that politics

is just a world

of lies and deceit.

Where people will

say anything

they'll promise anything

they'll slander anyone

to either

try and get into power

or try and stay there.

If you fancy a stroll

through Donald Trump's

Twitter account

it's very entertaining

but I don't think

you could say

that grace

has been poured

upon his lips.

But not so

with the king

of Sam 45.

If this king

had Twitter

the media

would probably

be quite disappointed.

It would be a bit boring

from their perspective

but you can be sure

it would do a lot more good.

And I think

we do

we find the words

of people

very influential

when we gauge

their character.

For some reason

it might not make

an immediate appearance

on our list

of priorities

or it rarely

wouldn't mind.

But the words

a person uses

the way they speak

to people

the way they speak

about people

that that's so often

what influences

the way we think

of someone.

I mean I don't think

anyone actually

dislikes Donald Trump

because of his hair.

And I don't think

people like him

just because he's rich.

It's what he says

that divides people.

But this king

this king

he speaks

with grace

poured upon his lips.

Now that's not

a promise

that he won't

divide people.

I mean

think of

King Solomon himself.

and the most

famous story

of his wisdom

that the two

women fighting

over a baby.

Solomon speaks

with great wisdom.

He speaks

rightly

and the right

choice is made.

The baby

goes to the right

mother.

But you can be sure

that one of those

women walked out

quite unhappy

with King Solomon.

Gracious words

doesn't mean

universal popularity

but it does mean

that you can

trust the person.

And you can

trust this king

to do what is

right.

Not necessarily

according to men

but you can

trust him to do

what is right

according to God.

And if doing

what is right

according to God

is our core

most concern

then we will

love to follow

a king like this

whose words

are full

of grace.

and the grace

that the kindness

of his words

is evidence

of his blessedness.

God has blessed

you

forever.

This is a

God given gift.

But already here

at the end of

verse 2

we have the first

hint that maybe

this is

talking about

someone greater

than King Solomon.

Forever.

But we will

come to a more

conclusive answer

a little later on.

So the king

is a king of grace.

Someone you want

to listen to.

Someone you want

to lead you.

Someone you can

trust when things

don't seem to be

going in the right

direction.

Here is a king

you can rely on

to have the right

words to say.

I'm sure we've

all had a moment

or two in our lives

where we've said

something we

probably shouldn't

have.

I can think of

three such occasions

in the last six

hours.

And I've probably

missed a few in

that time.

It just slips

out and they

think oh

I should not

have said that.

Sometimes it

takes years

before you

realise what

you've done.

But not so

this king.

He knows what

to say.

He knows when

to say it.

This kind of

man, this king

is the kind of

person people

would hear and

say no one

ever spoke

like this man.

This is a

king you want

to follow and

you want to

listen to.

Secondly, in

verses 3 to 5

we have a

picture of a

gallant king.

And if you

were in Israel's

position of

Psalm 44 and

you were told

of this great

king who always

had the right

words to say

you might well

be forgiven for

thinking so

what?

But this king

isn't just good

with words.

He seems to be

pretty handy with

a sword too.

The king is

armed in verse

3.

His arrow is

sharp in verse

5.

He's ready to

fight, ready to

defend his

kingdom.

He's not just

softly spoken,

kind-hearted with

warm words.

He is ready to

protect his

people.

Ready to

defend his

kingdom.

We had our

own royal

wedding in this

country not too

long ago.

I don't know if

you watched it.

I did not.

watched the

highlights, which

affirmed my

decision not to

watch it.

In our day and

age there's always

an awful lot of

talk about the

wedding dress.

I don't know if

it's always been

that way.

But if the news

coverage is anything

to go by it's a

pretty big deal.

And I didn't

really understand

the hype.

Nobody really

cares.

And then I saw

Megan come out

of the car.

I still didn't

really care.

It's a white

dress, isn't it?

No surprises

there.

What I thought

was considerably

more interesting

was what Prince

Harry was

wearing.

And it only

occurred to me

while preparing

this why he

was wearing it.

Because Prince

Harry wasn't

wearing a suit

or a tux.

He wasn't even

wearing a kilt.

Prince Harry was

wearing his

military uniform.

I don't think

it's compulsory,

but it's certainly

traditional.

That the prince

gets married

in his uniform.

Because a king

is expected not

only to rule

his people,

but he has a

duty to defend

his people as

well.

Prince Harry,

Prince William,

that they have

a history of

military service

because they

have a duty

to not only

rule, but

also to defend.

And that is

true of this

king too.

But again,

the motives of

the king are

assuredly good.

he's not

some raging

tyrant

looking to

conquer

everything in

his path

by force.

He rules

with words of

grace and he

fights for,

in verse 4,

the cause of

truth and

meekness and

righteousness.

The king is

equipped with a

sword and arrow

to fight for

what is right.

this is,

again,

this is a

king who

you can

trust.

You can

trust his

words and

you can

trust his

actions.

A king who

you can

trust to

say the

right thing

and to

do the

right thing.

It is a

short but

comprehensive

summary of

everything you

want in

someone you're

going to be

led by.

Trustworthy

in word

and deed.

But also

look at how

he fights in

these verses.

The end of

verse 3,

O mighty

one, in

your splendor

and majesty,

verse 4,

in your majesty

ride out

victoriously.

Let your

right hand

teach you

awesome deeds.

It's

splendor and

majesty.

He doesn't

fight quietly

on the

sidelines

letting someone

else do the

work or

instruct from

behind the

front lines.

He fights for

his people.

He rides out

victoriously.

His enemies,

the end of

verse 5,

they will

not stand

before him.

The peoples

fall under

you.

And again,

all this talk

is very well.

It sounds

good, but

put yourselves

in the

Israelite's

shoes and

it all

sounds good.

You'd quite

like to see

some evidence

of it on the

ground.

The king

sounds

magnificent,

but they are

still surely

like sheep

being led to

the slaughter.

And I

think we

can also

so often

find ourselves

in the

same shoes.

We wonder

who really

is winning

the battle

on the

ground.

Maybe when

you read

of the

persecuted

church or

you see

the spread

of false

religions or

every nation

just seeming

to go

stray further

and further

from what

is right.

You start

wondering who

really is in

control.

Who's really

winning this

war?

But our

questions are

answered in the

coming verses

because verse

6 to 9,

this is where

Solomon just

falls out the

picture.

Reading from

verse 6,

Your throne,

O God,

is forever

and ever.

The scepter

of your

kingdom is a

scepter of

uprightness.

You have

loved righteousness

and hated

wickedness.

Therefore,

God,

your God,

has anointed

you with the

oil of gladness

beyond your

companions.

These very

verses are

quoted in

Hebrews 1 of

the father

speaking about

the son.

The psalm

at this point

is unquestionably

messianic.

Nowhere else

in the Old

Testament is

God used to

describe someone

without some

kind of added

qualification.

This is a

king far

better than

Solomon.

This points

to a greater

king and a

greater kingdom.

It's hard to

know what the

Old Testament

readers would

have made of

the psalm.

even if they

had some

understanding

of the

Trinity,

there can

be little

doubt it

would have

been somewhat

perplexing.

This is a

case of the

Old Testament

really bursting

out of its

banks.

But we

are in the

privileged

position of

knowing this

king,

of knowing

exactly who

the king

addressed in

verse 1

is,

even if the

psalmist

wasn't aware

of the time.

And when you

see that these

verses are all

about Jesus,

it adds a

slight twist to

what we've just

seen in verses

2-5.

Because we

know Jesus

did come to

establish a

kingdom for

the quick cause

of truth and

meekness and

righteousness.

But he

certainly didn't

come with a

sword or an

arrow,

some of the

literal ones.

He didn't come

with a sword,

but he did

come with

something that

Hebrews calls

sharper than

any two-edged

sword.

Ephesians calls

it the sword of

the spirit.

Because Jesus

established his

kingdom with

his words.

His gallantry

in verses 3-5

is evidenced by

the grace upon

his lips in

verse 2,

that they're

almost the

same thing.

His words,

they bring

grace to those

who hear and

listen to them.

It's good news

for friends of

the king,

but the very

same words are

like swords and

arrows to his

enemies.

And we

know that the

kingdom that

he is establishing

is not of

this world.

And so in

the chaos,

we can be

sure that he

is in control.

He is king

over the

earth.

But this is

not where we

should expect

to see the

fullness of

his kingdom.

So we've

seen the

grace and

gallantry,

and now we

see the

glory of

the king

in verses

6-9.

First of

all, his

throne is

eternal.

This is an

everlasting

kingdom.

We've

already seen

that this

points to

something greater

than Solomon,

greater than

the greatest

earthly kings

or queens.

This is a

king who

rules eternally.

He loves

righteousness,

he hates

wickedness.

Therefore,

he's been

anointed with

gladness.

Sounds like a

pretty good

thing to be

anointed with.

In verse

8, he

also smells

good.

Don't really

know what else

to say about

that.

Then we

see stringed

instruments

being played

from ivory

palaces,

all in

praise of

this glorious

king.

Ivory

palaces appear

very rarely

in the Bible.

I mean,

they just

sound amazing.

And they're

always associated

with the

splendor of

a king,

the greatness

of his

house.

Ivory

lined

palaces from

which music

pours forth.

Bringing

gladness to

the king

because he

deserves

gladness.

Because the

king is

worthy of

the highest

honours.

He is

worthy of

the most

beautiful music

from the

most beautiful

palaces.

He is a

king of

glory.

He loves

righteousness

and hates

wickedness.

He is

honoured by

those around

him because

he is worthy

of it.

he deserves

the praise

he receives.

He is a

graceful

king,

a gallant

king,

and he

is a

glorious

king.

But he's

not alone,

as is the

way with

weddings.

There's

someone else

there.

And the

bride is

atypically

playing second

fiddle to

the king.

And she

makes an

appearance in

verses 10

to 15.

And if we

know this is

the messianic

set, and

we know

that Jesus

is in

place of

the king,

he is

fulfilling the

role of

bridegroom

here,

then that

leaves the

role of

the bride

to be

filled by

the church.

And while

we have to

be careful

drawing exact

parallels,

the overall

picture can

certainly tell

us a few

things.

So we're

now looking

at the

bride as

the bride

of the

messian.

And I

want us to

put together

another three

pictures.

This time

with the

bride at

the center

of attention.

The bride

of the

king,

the bride

of Christ.

Three

pictures of

the bride.

She is

adopted,

she is

admired,

and she

is adorned.

Adopted,

admired,

and adorned.

Firstly,

adopted in

verse 10.

And we

can see the

bride switches

allegiances,

or has at

least been

called to

switch

allegiances.

She is

removing

herself from

one family

and being

taken in

by another.

See there

in verse 10,

Hear,

O daughter,

and consider

and incline

your ear.

Forget your

people and

your father's

house,

and the

king will

desire your

beauty.

Since he

is your

lord,

bow to

him.

That's

what marriage

is.

It's been

that way

since Genesis

2.

It's how

God ordained

it.

a man

shall leave

his father

and his

mother and

hold fast

to his

wife and

they shall

become one

flesh.

Leaving your

family to

join a

new one is

a big

moment.

And it

isn't something

we can expect

to be taken

lightly.

I've never

been a bride

myself.

But I

don't think

you have to

have experienced

it to have

some appreciation

of where some

of the nerves

come from.

you've been

part of one

family, one

household all

your life.

That's all

you know.

It's what

you've grown

up with.

It's what

in some

ways at least

you've grown

to love.

And when

you are

asked to

leave all

that you

know for

something you

don't,

as part of

a lifelong

commitment,

it's an

understandably

daunting

moment.

moment.

And when

we leave

our own

lives behind

to be

united with

Christ,

it's a

big moment.

It should

be.

When I

became a

Christian,

I don't

think I

was really

aware at

the time

of what

it meant

leaving

behind.

I'm sure

I'm not

alone in

that, but

it's a

big commitment.

commitment.

And that's

why it's

so important

we recognise

and understand

what we've

seen in

the king.

When we

see the

king in

all his

glory,

leaving our

old lives

behind to

follow him

becomes

easier.

The more

we appreciate

the greatness

of the

king,

the less

appealing our

old family

becomes to

us.

And we

can see

the queen

in verse

10 needs

a fair bit

of encouragement

to leave

behind her

father's

house and

become one

with the

king.

There's four

commands there

in verse

10.

Here,

consider,

incline,

forget.

Multiple

commands that

come again

and again.

And that's

something we

need, isn't

it?

To be told

again and

again that

we need to

leave behind

our past.

We need to

know that we

are part of

a new

family, a

new house.

We submit

to a new

king.

It can be

so easy

to look

on the

past with

rose-tinted

glasses and

think things

used to be

so much

better to

look long

and back

to where

we've

come from.

But

remember the

king.

And remember

where we are

now.

We are joined

to a king

who loves

righteousness

and hates

wickedness,

whose throne

is forever

and ever,

who rides

forth in

splendor

and majesty.

The bride

is told,

forget about

where you

come from.

Forget about

it.

We have a

new lord,

a new

master,

a new

king.

So the

queen has

been adopted

into a new

family.

And secondly,

the second

picture of the

queen,

she is

admired.

She is

admired by

the king,

bridegroom,

which is

good,

and by

interestingly,

the people

of Tyre,

who seek

her favour

with gifts.

But the

bride is

unsurprisingly

attractive,

not only to

the bridegroom,

but to the

onlookers.

And when we

think of a

wedding,

that's quite

normal.

The bride

gets the

attention because

the bride is

beautiful.

I don't think

there will be

any disagreements

with that.

But if we

remember that

this queen is

the bride

of Christ,

and we go

forward to the

New Testament,

we see who

that bride is,

we see it's

the church,

the people of

God,

the people

sitting here

in Dean Hall

this evening,

who meet

together on a

Sunday,

all the church

of Christ

is his bride,

and the bride

is, we see

here in verses

11 and 12,

admired by the

king and

admired by

outsiders.

The bride is

beautiful,

and that's how

it should be,

beautiful to the

king and

beautiful to

outsiders.

I think we

live in

something of

a victim

culture,

and that's

fair to say,

everyone likes

to play the

victim,

everyone wants

to think

they're the

ones that

are oppressed,

and I think

there's a

degree of

that to

which we

can fall

susceptible

to,

to start

to think

about that,

and almost

boast about

how difficult

life is as

a Christian,

how opposed

the world

around us

is to the

church and

to all that

she stands

for.

And there

are times

when persecution

is very

real,

and I

don't want

to take

anything away

from that.

But if we're

honest about it,

I think in this

country it's

quite rare.

We probably all

know somebody

doesn't like the

fact we're a

Christian,

but they are

in a very

small minority.

I've been

doing the

book table on

Greenford for a

couple of years

now,

and there have

been a few

aggressive

individuals who

obviously really

don't like the

church and have

something against

us.

people.

But I

reckon in all

the conversations

I've had,

you could count

those people

on one hand.

Pretty much

everyone else

is generally

fairly neutral,

that they just

don't know

anything about

the church.

And I think

there's something

quite sad about

that.

Because the

king's bride

should be seen

as beautiful.

She should be

admired, not

only by the

king, but by

some of the

outsiders too.

the church

should be a

light shining

in the

darkness.

And yes,

some people

will despise

the light,

but I think

most people

will be positive

about the

church.

They should

see the

goodness of

the bride

of Christ.

That there's

a danger we

can somehow

dig ourselves

into some

kind of

asceticism,

where if

we're not

provoking

people, we

must be doing

something wrong,

as evangelism,

some kind of

bear poking

exercise.

But while

there will

be some

opposition,

the bride

of Christ

should be

admired both

by the

king and

by the

omnipotors.

The bride

is not there

to be tucked

away in some

cupboard.

Her beauty

should be

evident for

all to

see.

Adopted,

admired, and

the final picture

of the bride

adorned in

verses 13-15.

And you can

see in these

verses that the

beauty of the

queen is in

her outward

appearance,

which is in

quite stark

contrast to

much of the

king's

majesty.

Look back

to the

king.

Verse 2,

he speaks

with grace.

Verse 4,

in his

majesty, he

rides out

victoriously

for righteousness

and meekness

and truth.

His scepter

in verse 5

is a

scepter of

uprightness.

Verse 6,

he loves

righteousness

and hates

wickedness.

That the

king's beauty

is evident

from his

own

character.

But the

queen's

splendor,

her glory,

comes from

the garments

she wears.

Look there

in verse 13.

All

glorious is

the princess

in her

chamber,

with robes

interwoven

with gold.

In many

colored robes

she is led

to the

king,

with her

virgin

companions

following

behind her,

with joy and

gladness they

are led

along as

they enter

the palace

of the

king.

The

beauty of

the

queen is

all about

what she's

wearing,

about what

she's been

adorned

with.

And the

garments are

so beautiful,

so rich,

that in all

likelihood she

could not

have afforded

them herself,

that they

would almost

certainly have

had to be

provided for

by the

king,

one of the

few people

who could

afford such

fine clothing.

the bride's

beauty paid

for by

the king.

And we

know the

bride of

Christ is

no different.

The church

is covered

by robes

that only

the king,

only the

bridegroom

can afford.

He covers

our sins

and adorns

us with

righteousness.

The words

of Isaiah

61,

I will

greatly

rejoice in

the Lord.

My soul

shall exalt

in my God

for he has

clothed me

with garments

of salvation.

He has

covered me

with the

robe of

righteousness.

As a

bride

prude

decks

himself

like a

priest

with a

beautiful

headdress

and as a

bride adorns

herself with

jewels.

And as

the king

adorns

the queen,

so our

king,

our saviour

adorns

us with

the garments

of salvation.

The beauty

of the bride

should be,

as we looked

at a moment

ago,

recognised

by outsiders,

but it's

all for

the king.

It is

all for

him.

He is

the one

who is

our

lord.

He is

the one

whom we

bow to.

He is

the reason

the bride

is beautiful.

The bride

is beautiful

for the

king.

In

living for

our king,

in doing

what is

good for

him,

the beauty

should be

evident to

everyone.

So we've

had three

pictures of

the queen,

adopted,

admired,

and adorned.

And finally,

one last

picture to

see.

And that

is the

king and

the queen

together.

The greatest

treasure of

all for

the queen,

better than

the praise

of the

nations,

better than

the garments

she's been

given,

the greatest

treasure for

the queen

is that she

now gets

to be with

the king.

And this

is our

seventh and

final picture

of the king

and the

queen

together in

their

palace.

She is

brought into

the palace

with the

king at

the end

of verse

15.

At his

right hand

at the end

of verse

9.

The greatest

joy for

the bride,

the primary

source of

gladness,

is union

with the

king.

The

unsurpassable

privilege of

being united

to the

king of

kings.

And that

is where

we stand

now as

the bride

of Christ,

united to

the king.

And by

being united

to the

king,

we share

in all

the good

things that

the king

has won

for his

bride.

So you

see three

pictures of

the king,

three pictures

of the queen,

one of them

together,

and the

psalm closes

looking into

the future

of the

newlyweds.

And these

last verses

are addressed

specifically to

the king.

It's his

name that will

be remembered.

He will be

the praise

of the

nations.

And I

think we

as the

bride need

to remember

that.

That ultimately

it's all

about the

king.

Though he

loves his

bride, he

treasures his

bride, and

he cares for

his bride,

it's the

king who's

majestic.

The king

who's worthy

of praise.

It's a

beautiful picture

of king and

his queen.

And it is

our picture

of our

king and

us.

And there

probably will

be times when

we wonder

where our

king, our

god is, when

we can't