Encouragement

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"The Bridegroom's Cry" - Song of Songs 2:8-14

"The voice of my beloved! Behold He comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold He stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice.

My beloved spoke, and said to me: "Rise up, my love, my fair one and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away!"

"Oh My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your countenance, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is lovely." (NKJV)

The evocative imagery in the Song of Songs is a poetic representation of the love between Jesus, the Bridegroom, and His blood-bought Bride. We see it in many books of the Old Testament (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea) and in the New Testament (spoken by the Lord Himself in Matthew 9:15 and 25:1, Revelations 21:2, 9, and Ephesians 5:27).

Today's eWord is a cry from the heart of the Bridegroom, who calls to the Bride He adores. His passion for the one He desires is so great that He leaps up the mountains, and skips over the hills. There is no distance too great to travel to reach her - even the distance between Heaven and Earth, between divinity and humanity. His heart longs for His Bride, as He runs to her eagerly, like a gazelle, strong and fleet of foot, covering the miles in graceful leaps, His heart filled with love, His lips calling her name. It is the voice of the Beloved! The voice of the Lord! As a young stag in the wilds sets out, determined to possess the mate of His choice, the Prince of Heaven, came to earth, seeking to touch the hearts and lives of His creation with His love.

However, having come to His beloved's home, the Bridegroom cannot seem to come inside - He stands behind the wall. He watches her through the windows, and gazes through the lattice, longing to be close to the one He loves. The Lord Jesus has done all that was necessary to reach the sons and daughters of the earth; but many of us have surrounded ourselves with 'walls'. With their beliefs and a practices, people have rejected God and His Word, and made a conscious or unconscious choice to keep Him out of their lives, or out of their hearts. However, He never stops loving His creation. He extends His grace, and continues to watch and wait, giving people the opportunity to open the door and ask Him in.

The young lover in our passage of Scripture calls His beloved to 'rise up' and 'come away'. He calls her to the secret places of the cliff, to the clefts of the rock. This is the cry from the heart of the Bridegroom who calls His bride to 'rise up' (make a conscious decision and a step forward) and 'come away' from all the distractions, the 'other gods', the temptations and snares of the world. He calls us to come to Him, to give our hearts to Him, and live for Him and with Him forever.

The sweet Spirit woos us to ever closer and more intimate relationship with the Bridegroom, where we will hunger for Him with the same passion He has for us. It is a place where we will worship Him and Him alone, seeking Him in the Holy of Holies, the secret places of the Lord Most High, where we can cease from striving, and rest in perfect communion, within the circle of His glorious embrace. It is a place of hearing His voice, so precious and so sweet, and seeing the radiant splendor of His beautiful face.

Precious people, I believe the Spirit is calling us all to that higher place of pure and precious spirit to Spirit intimacy. Many of us have become focused on issues we have to deal with, battles we have to fight, and problems to overcome. We spend time praying about these, instead of simply worshiping the only One who is worthy of all our adoration, and enjoying the powerful purity of His presence. The awesome and amazing Lord of all the universe - the One who holds all power and authority in His hands - is actually calling us to come and be with Him!

Friends, the answers to all our difficulties are found in the presence of the Lord Most High, whether it is a healing need or any other issue. When the beloved called His love to come away and spend time with Him, He said to her that the winter is past; He pointed out that the flowers were appearing, the fruit trees were bearing, and it was a time of singing and turtledoves. Let us look at the significance in all this beautiful imagery.

1)The Lord is showing us that it is time for a change of season! The winter, when everything was dead and dried up, is past! God is calling you out of a place of defeat and fruitlessness, of frustration and hopelessness. He is telling you to rise up and step out of a season of endless striving without seeing proportionate results. He is moving you into (spiritual) spring time! All through the winter, as you toiled and shed tears over the fact that you could see no change in your situation, God was working behind the scenes; beneath the surface of the ground, there was life springing forth, as He prepared you for the next season and the blessing He had for you. The tears you shed, and the many prayers you have prayed have not been in vain - they are what nurtured the little seedlings struggling to make their way through the hard, dry winter earth.

2) As the landscape changes before your very eyes, there is beauty, color, and life emerging. You are entering a season of great fruitfulness - the fig trees have put forth green figs, and the air is heavy with the fragrance of the tender grapes upon the vine! God is positioning you for promotion - He has higher ground in store for you! You are poised for the fulfillment of all your potential! Hallelujah! The Prophet Isaiah (43:18 wrote "Forget the former things; do now dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" It is time to stop focusing on the winter you experienced, with its fruitless and wasted efforts, and the pain of mistakes and defeat. Begin to call forth that which God has ordained for you. Believe it will come to pass and look for it - God is doing a new thing in your life, and you will see it "spring up" as you seek it. It is a time for singing; a time for celebration, because all God's promises to you are 'yes' and 'amen' in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20).

3) In this new season, we will hear the "voice of the turtledove". The turtle dove is symbolic of devoted love; turtle doves are said to be faithful to their mates for a lifetime. In Scripture, we see that a pair of turtledoves present a picture of the covenant love and kindness of God. When turtledoves were offered on the altar, it was a sacrifice for purity, and the restoration of peace between God and man. Their blood was sprinkled on the altar, in the same way the blood of the Lamb of God was shed, and sprinkled to purify our lives, and bring us peace with God. Friend, this new season is one in which you will know the Bridegroom like never before. His devoted, undying love is over you. His shed blood has brought you into relationship with the Father, and it is a relationship that is for all eternity - He has made a blood covenant with you! He is so in love with you, and He desires to light a fire in you. He longs to touch your heart in such a way that you will love Him fiercely and never drift away from Him, whatever the cost! He wants to be a part of everything you do!

God has a fragrant, colorful, fruitful season in store for you! But first, rise up from where you are. Hear His voice calling you to "come away" and be with Him. Re-arrange your calendar, turn off your telephone, and take time to spend with Him. You are so blessed that the Prince of peace, the Lord of Heaven is calling you to come and sup with Him, and spend sweet intimate time with Him in the inner chamber. Seize the moment today - He may not wait for you much longer at the window, gazing through the lattice! Accept the Bridegroom's invitation, and see how His perfect presence will transform your whole life! Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain! (Psalm 127:1).


Minoli Haththotuwa, June 28 2010
www.wingslikeeagles.info

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