The Song of Solomon is arguably the most passionate book in the Bible. It’s a beautiful depiction of Solomon and the Shulamite, his bride. And, it’s a picture of our relationship with Christ. If you had to condense the beautiful poetry and imagery in the book down to one sentence, it might be, “The bridegroom calls, and the bride answers.”
He’s the initiator
When You said, “Seek My face”,
My heart said to You, “Your face Lord, I will seek.
(Psalm 27:8)
Let’s see how this works in the story of Solomon and his bride.
I sleep but my heart is awake;
It is the voice of my beloved!
He knocks saying, “Open for me, my sister, my love,
My dove, my perfect one;
For my head is covered with dew,
My locks with the drops of the night.
(Song of Sol. 5:2)
What happens if you don’t respond
Can you see that it’s the bridegroom who initiates intimacy? He’s the one calling and knocking. He calls for her to open the door to him. But watch what she says in the next verse.
I have taken off my robe;
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet; how can I defile them?
(Song of Sol. 5:3)
If you’re a child of God, the Holy Spirit will gently prompt you to come away with Him. You’ll feel a tug in your heart to pray, or worship, or just sit quietly with Him. His words in your spirit are like those of the bridegroom, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away” (Song of Sol. 2:10). But if you protest and tell Him that now just isn’t a convenient time, you may discover what she did . . .
I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My heart leaped up when he spoke.
I sought him but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
(Song of Sol. 5:6)
Answer passion with passion
This doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit departs, never to return. It just means that He may withdraw the manifestation of His presence for a time. He reveals Himself to those who hunger for Him. The more we follow His promptings, the more of His presence we’ll experience. And this, my friends, is the key to a deeper relationship with Him: We can’t be casual or careless in our pursuit. We must answer passion with passion. When He calls, don’t wait for a convenient time to answer. Run to Him now!
Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.
A.W. Tozer
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