Over the years we have had the privilege of assignments on all five continents. Usually we will begin our sharing by inviting King Jesus to come and take His place in that place, as we sing ‘Lord Jesus We Enthrone you, we proclaim you are King.’
Then by way of introducing ourselves, we often would sing about our hometown in, ‘The Belle of Belfast City’
I would then speak about that beautiful Belle as being the Bride of Christ that God is preparing for His Son not just in Belfast but in every city, town and village across the globe
I reckon that makes the bride of the King we long for……the Queen.
Interestingly when we lived in Belfast much spiritual activity happened around our old alma mater, The Queen’s University Belfast (Q.U.B.).
This was where ‘the charismatic movement’ first landed, where the ‘Come Together in Jesus Name’ choir was born, and where the musical presentation ‘Come Lord Jesus’ first took place. Both these musicals spread through Ireland and beyond. These three ‘birthings’ happened literally within a quarter mile radius of one another…..at Queen’s.
On our return last month the three events I gave notice about on the blog, once again……all happened to take place around ‘Queens’
More than ever before, the Belfast folk song about the Belle of Belfast City came alive to me as a prophecy, now being fulfilled in our time!.
The chorus goes,
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the Belle of Belfast city
She is a courtin’ one, two, three
Please won’t you tell me who is she.
‘Handsome’ usually refers to men and ‘pretty’ to women indicating that ‘the bride of Christ’ is made up of both men and women.
And who are three she is courting? Why the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In verse one we hear of conflict, ‘All the boys are fighting’ and the boys are fighting the girls, ‘They boys won’t leave the girls alone…..They pull my hair and stole my comb.’ Beyond the historic, ‘Troubles’ of Northern Ireland conflict between ethnic groups and between the genders is more marked worldwide now than ever before.
And yet out of these difficult times emerges the Belle…..
’Out she comes as white as snow
Rings on her fingers bells on her toes.’
Scripture tells us that though our sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow. This white robe speaks of the righteousness that is ours in Christ, (Is. 1:18, 61:10,11) As returning prodigals we have been given a ring of authority on our finger (Lk.15:22) and on our feet, the bells that ring out good news, from those whose feet have been shod, ‘with the gospel of peace.’ (Eph.6:15)
‘How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news. Proclaiming peace announcing news of happiness,’Our God reigns’ (Is. 52:7)
This above all is the good news, that our good God reigns in all, over all and through all!
The third verse begins,
‘Let the wind and the rain and the hail blow high.
The snow come a tumbling from the sky.
She’s as sweet as apple pie
And she’ll get her own lad by and by.”
Today we are in the midst of a ferocious worldwide storm. Yet we find the Belle, ‘sweet as apple pie’
She lives the truth of Psalm 46 for God is her refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble therefore she does not fear though the earth appears to give way for through her heart flows the stream of God’s Spirit enabling her to be still in the knowledge that God is God.
We discover the Belle does get her love. So who is “the fella with the rovin’ eye’?
‘For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chron.16:9)
We discover his name is ‘Albert Mooney’. What does that reveal? Albert means ‘bright and noble’ one, and Mooney means ‘wealthy’.
Is not Jesus, the wealthy one? The creator and owner of all things, it is He who is our bright and noble bridegroom……the beautiful Queen’s Coming King.