“Scarcely had I left them
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I held on to him and would not let him go
Until I had brought him to my mother’s house,
And into the room of her who conceived me.”
— Song of Songs 3:4
“Who is this coming up from the wilderness
Like columns of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all scented powders of the merchant?
Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon;
Sixty mighty men surround it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.”
— Song of Songs 3:6-7
The Song of Songs shows us that when we first begin to pursue the Lord, we are very much in the realm of our own feelings. Eventually, however, we learn that the Lord’s presence with us is real and dependable, whether we sense it or not. Even so, we still do our best to hold onto His presence when we experience it (3:4).
As we are being led out of our feelings, we are also gradually, consistently, step-by-step, being transformed. By means of the Lord’s working, we are growing in life. Others realize that we have experienced the constituting work of the Lord, and so they ask, “Who is this coming up from the wilderness Like columns of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all scented powders of the merchant?” (3:6).
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 228-229.
Tomorrow: “Knowing the Effect of Redemption”