The young woman's devotion sparked a curiosity in those around her. As they wonder why she is willing to endure such affliction, they ask, "What is it about Him?" The question prompts her to remember that He alone is her Beloved; she then turns to them and recites the beauty of who He is.
The young women move from curiosity to desire—pivoting from, 'What is it about Him' to ' Where on Earth can He be?'
I remember when I first realized the magnitude of the love of Christ? Most of us grew up in some kind of belief system; many with Jesus at the helm. For me, I was raised in a religion with a dead Jesus, where the concentration was primarily on what He did, overshadowing who He is. It was difficult for me to comprehend His love through institutional dogma. However, God uses ordinary people, who have themselves wrestled through faith questions of their own, to draw others to His true identity.
The Woman:
“Never mind. My lover is already on his way to his garden,
to browse among the flowers, touching the colors and forms.
I am my lover’s and my lover is mine.
He caresses the sweet-smelling flowers." Songs 6:2-3 MSG
Once she's able to move past the emotion that plagued her, her eyes open to the truth; she realized she knew exactly where to find Him. He is within her—they are one—and nothing can separate them.
Most people may not say this out loud, but when we fall short, we secretly wonder if God will turn His back on us. I wonder if it's because that's what we would do? In contrast, Jesus says to His bride—even while knowing every single decision she will ever make, good and bad—
"In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be." John 14:2-3 NASB
Not only will He never turn His back, but is currently preparing a place for us.
The Man (King Solomon):
Dear, dear friend and lover,
you’re as beautiful as Tirzah, city of delights,
Lovely as Jerusalem, city of dreams,
the ravishing visions of my ecstasy.
Your beauty is too much for me—I’m in over my head.
I’m not used to this! I can’t take it in.
Your hair flows and shimmers
like a flock of goats in the distance
streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.
Your smile is generous and full—
expressive and strong and clean.
Your veiled cheeks
are soft and radiant. Songs 6:4-7 MSG
She is as beautiful to Him as she was the day they first met. His love has never been based on her performance, it's always been based on His Promise.
He never changes His mind about you. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
There’s no one like her on earth, never has been, never will be.She’s a woman beyond compare. My dove is perfection,Pure and innocent as the day she was born, and cradled in joy by her mother.Everyone who came by to see her exclaimed and admired her—All the fathers and mothers, the neighbors and friends, blessed and praised her:
10 “Has anyone ever seen anything like this— dawn-fresh, moon-lovely, sun-radiant, ravishing as the night sky with its galaxies of stars? ”Songs 6:8-10 MSG
It's impossible to ignore that this year has tested and exposed the faith we hold. Bear with me here as I try to explain. God revealed to me, through the many trials of 2020, that I find it much easier to understand His love on a corporate level than I do on a personal one. I know God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, but I struggle with God so loved Jena, personally.
The King expresses so beautifully His love for His bride. Yes, those of us, who have turned their lives over to Jesus, we collectively form His bride. But God says that one is my beloved—the perfect one—and that one is me, and that one is you. We are each, individually, His beloved bride, made righteous by the blood of Jesus. And nothing, but nothing, can ever take that away.
I literally have to remind myself of this minute by minute as it does not come naturally for me. As we wait expectantly for this year to end, I pray He not only opens the eyes of the blind, but widens the eyes of those of us who already see.
Comments