“Show me your face, let
me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.” (Song of Songs 2:14
NIV)
By Sharon
Jaynes as on Crosswalk.com (1/25/12)
“Friend
to Friend
Aren’t you glad that God refers to
the Church as the Bride of Christ? I asked my husband what pictures come into
his mind when he reads God’s description of the Church as the Bride of Christ.
He gave me a strange look and said, ‘none, really.’ I’ll admit, I can’t picture
Steve walking down the aisle in a flowing wedding gown, but oh sister, I can
see myself dressed in a satin and lace, pearl-studded gown with a flowing veil,
and walking down the aisle of heaven to meet Jesus—my heavenly Bridegroom.
Can’t you? What glorious imagery God has given to His female image bearers.
Perhaps one of the most romantic
books in the Bible is the Song of Songs, or as some translations title it, The
Song of Solomon. While it can be read as King Solomon’s wooing the Shulammite
woman working in the fields, many theologians, including Augustine, Matthew
Henry, Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, and at least one gal from the South,
see it as an allegory of Jesus wooing the heart of His Bride.
I have been like the Shulammite
woman who questioned God’s pursuit. She felt unworthy of her suitor’s advances.
‘Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun,’ she cried (Song of Songs 1:6).
Her hands were stained from tending her brothers’ vineyard. Her skin was burnt
by the blazing sun. Her feet were calloused from walking bare on hardened
ground. But the king looked past all the outward signs of a hard-lived life,
and saw only her beauty.
When I first read those words
through the lens of Jesus pursuing me, tears filled my eyes. And yet, the tears
were not for the Shulammite woman. The tears were for myself.
I grew up in a home riddled with
cyclical bursts of physical violence and constant emotional turmoil. My father
drank very heavily and my parents fought, both verbally and physically, in
front of me. Many nights I went to bed, pulled the covers up around my chin,
and prayed that I would hurry up and go to sleep to shut out the noise of the
yelling, screaming, and arguing in the next room. My parents were so wrapped up
in their own problems, they were unsure how to show love to their children. I
lived in a beautiful house and all my physical needs were cared for. But my
heart was hungry for something I couldn’t define. An undercurrent of inferiority,
insecurity, and inadequacy ran through my entire existence and became the
window through which I viewed my little world.
From my earliest remembrance, I felt
that I wasn’t good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough. Looking back through
my scrapbook of photos, I was actually a cute little girl. However, when
someone feels ugly, the mirror on the wall somehow bypasses the reflection in
the glass and goes right to the heart. No wonder my daddy doesn’t love me, I
thought on many occasions.
And yet, the King spied me in the
fields and wooed me. Through a two-year courtship, Jesus pursued my adolescent
heart until I finally stopped shunning His advances and allowed myself to be
caught. ‘I am my Beloved’s and His desire is for
me.’ Every girl’s dream.
There are many different types of
love: motherly love, friendship love, patriotic love, and a host of other
shades and varieties. But romantic love brings with it colors and hues that are
specific and unique to every other on the spectrum of emotions. Lovers are
consumed with ways to make each other happy. They long for together times and
feel a sense of loss when apart. Lovers are willing to sacrifice just about
anything to be together. They lie awake at night dreaming up ways to make the
other happy. An embrace. A kiss. A word. A look. Each of these ordinary
movements between friends or acquaintances becomes rapturous between lovers.
How lovely that God has chosen romantic love to describe how He feels about
you. And what He really desires is for you to express that love in return in an
intimate relationship.
Let’s
Pray
Jesus, I honestly don’t know what
you saw in me, but I’m so glad You thought I was worth pursuing. I do love You
so. Thank You for pursuing me and catching me in your love net. I am captivated
by Your love.
In Your Name, Amen”
“He
brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” (Song of Solomon 2:4 NKJV)
jowildflowers@gmail.com jean-oathout.blogspot.com Tomorrow’s post:
THE
HOPE OF PEACE by Dr.
Charles Stanley
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