“If you do not know,
O fairest among women,
follow in the footsteps of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.”
—Song of Songs 1:8
While she is struggling in this way, the Lord has mercy upon her. She knows that her nourishment and her hope can only be found in the Lord Himself. She realizes that the nourishing of life and rest come from Him alone. Therefore, no matter how difficult or uncertain things are outwardly, she still is able to go on by relying on the Lord.
Every time we come to the Lord in this way, He seems encouraged and moved by our predicament and sees us as “fairest among women.” The Lord knows where we are, and He understands our complaint. (“But my own vineyard I have not kept. I don’t know where to pasture my young goats.”) He knows that our not knowing what to do is because of our love for Him. He also knows that outwardly we are weak and self-centered, but inwardly we are still lovely. Therefore He says, “You fairest among women, everything is fine. If you do not know, go forth along the footsteps of the flock.”
The Lord doesn’t mention work in His response. When we love the Lord, we are easily occupied with work, and we want to do something for Him. His desire, however, is to save those who love Him from work.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 144-145.
Tomorrow: “The Footsteps of the Flock”