Well, you may have figured out by now that I am loving Song of Songs! With each chapter I fall more in love with Jesus, and I’m amazed at His adoration for me. This stuff is the ultimate of all love stories! Have you checked it out yet?
Chapter five begins with the King of Kings inviting His friends to see her beauty. “Feast on her, my lovers! Drink and drink, and drink again, until you can take no more. Drink the wine of her love. Take all you desire, you priests. My life within her will become your feast.” When we, the beautiful Bride overflow with the life of Jesus, we want to invite others in to see who He is. Family, friends, cities, nations, they all want to have a glimpse.
The Bride recognizes that even in the darkness of night her Beloved came to her, and awakened her. He beckons her to arise and move into a deeper space with Him. He sees her as a flawless Bride, one He longs to be with all the time. Isn’t that so true? Have you slumbered in the darkness of night only to know that God is there calling you to something deeper? Have you felt His intensity seep over you in such a way that you know His thoughts for you are pure and tender?
The Bride answers: “You have cleansed my life and taken me so far. Isn’t that enough? My beloved reached into me to unlock my heart. The core of my very being trembled at his touch.”
Sometimes in our walk we come to a standstill. God has cleansed us, He has journeyed with us, and all of that is so good. But, then, He touches us in unexpected ways, and suddenly, our hearts open up in places we may not have known were even locked. It causes our world to tremble, it shakes us up. And, then we are left to walk a new and unexpected path. I’ve been in this place too. God comes along and opens my heart to new ideas, perspectives, thoughts….and then as suddenly as He came; it feels like He leaves. And, I am left to wonder….I can call out to Him, but there is only silence. I can find myself searching for Him, in the church and in others, only to be wounded and hurt by the very ones I trusted. Even so, His love for me has taken me to such deep places that I cannot be turned aside. “I’ve been pierced through by love, and I will not be turned aside!”
When those around us see the deep devotion and love we have for Jesus, even in the painful traumatic times, they too will want to know who He is. They will marvel and question his hold on us. And, we can tell them our story. We can share the unconditional love of Jesus. We can say, just as the Shula-mite Bride said “The way he leads me is divine, His leadership-so pure and dignified as he wears his crown of gold.”
It is true. God is our divine leader. He knows the way to go, and He is steadfast in all he does. He is delightful in every way and perfect from every viewpoint. Why do I love Him? “Because there is none like Him to me. Everything about him fills me with holy desire! And now he is my beloved-my friend forever.”
Praying today that as He beckons you to arise from your slumber, you will arise. You will glow with His love and others will seek all that you have. You will be able to tell your story of despair and the victory of His love on the other side of that.
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A gem cannot be polished without friction nor a man perfected without trials.