“He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with cakes of raisins,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick.
His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.”
“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken my love
Until she pleases.”
— Song of Songs 2:4-7
This saint has now had some growth in life. She has experienced many things: First, she has been attracted by the love of the Lord. In the beginning she said, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine.” (SS. 1:2) It was an experience of love. Then she realized, “The virgins love you” (1:3), and she began to pursue the Lord in the church life. She further touched the love of the Lord and experienced being brought into the Lord’s chambers, whereupon she said, “We will be glad and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine” (1:4).
This one has experienced the Lord’s love. A person who doesn’t know the love of the Lord has no experience at all before God. We cannot just go to the meetings and pray. We have to allow the love of the Lord to captivate us and saturate us. If we are to go on, our whole being needs to be in the love of the Lord.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 175.
Tomorrow: “Basic Lessons in Seeking the Lord (2)”