A Love that Brings New Life

You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;  you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.  (Song of Songs 4:9)

God demands little, but expects much.  One glance toward him is enough to bring him running to my side.  Sometimes I flatter myself in thinking it is my “beauty” that brings him, but it is really much more his love.  Yet, I also find that when I think of stealing his heart with one glance, there must be beauty in my soul that I am little aware of.

God’s humility amazes me.  He comes with so little invitation.  That is mercy.  His mercy is his willingness to come even though I may only offer “one jewel” from my necklace.  He is ever-ready to respond because of his great love.  Like a star-crossed lover he awaits and anticipates any move I might make toward him.

But he is not like one filled with infatuation, who is completely blind to my unfaithfulness.  He knows about all of my sins.  Yet he loves me.  He knows a truth about me that runs deeper than my sin.  He sees a beauty in me that outshines my filthy deeds.  His heart is stolen by his vision of what he has made me to be and the passion to bring that person alive with my cooperation by trust.  I am raised to life by his love.

Lord, I cannot see in myself what you find so irresistible.  When I look at myself, I often feel ashamed.  By your mercy, let me see what you see.  By your grace, let me become that person.  By your love I am reborn.  Amen.

How might I practice receiving this love that brings life?  In the Song of Songs, the Beloved seeks the Lover and accepts his love.   With Dawn, I rehearse the words and actions of her love in my mind and it draws out the best of me.  So I want to remember God’s words and actions of love in my life and allow it to draw out the person that he sees I can be with him and in him.  The Bible becomes to me his words of love and his actions to draw near to me so I might draw near to him.  Such love comes to the Bible with prayerful emptiness and reads it with humble expectation.  (The Fire of the Word, Chris Webb, Chapter 6)