Song of Songs 5-6:5

New International Version (NIV)

She

I slept but my heart was awake.
    Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
    my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
    my hair with the dampness of the night” …

He

You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
    as lovely as Jerusalem,
    as majestic as troops with banners.
Turn your eyes from me;
    they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from Gilead.

For Meditation

Can we talk love this morning? Lovers, where are you? Can we read through Solomon’s book, Song of Songs, this morning and glean, with Chuck Swindoll, four lessons from the life of these two lovers? Hopefully, it will enrich couples with the oxygen needed to revive or strengthen our marriages.

The first observation is the joy with which the couple freely expresses their most intimate feelings of love to each other. This expression of intimacy, which began right from courtship through their wedding day and continues throughout the marriage, is a source of inspiration. It’s a reminder that our love doesn’t have to fade after the wedding day. Kudos to you, couples whose romantic lives are still as vibrant as those of Solomon and his beloved. It’s a joy to engage in moments of intimacy with your spouse, not just when you’re upset with each other. Let’s strive to bring back the joy of talking love as we did when we were dating!

The couple’s level and expression of intimacy are exceptional and reveal an equal level of closeness and an enormous investment of their hearts in the relationship. The question is whether we are that close to our spouses in that way because that is the natural way to maintain intimacy. This intimacy requires us to invest our whole hearts in our time with our spouses. Lord, help us with our cell phones and other social media gadgets! How many getaways to facilitate this kind of closeness and warmth away from the children and busy schedules have suffered these interferences?

The third observation is the couple’s commitment to investing quality and quantity of time in their marriage to maintain such intimacy. It’s a reminder that we shouldn’t rush or shorten these moments, leaving us unsatisfied and longing for more. We shouldn’t treat our relationship like an appetizer without the main meal. Let’s not let the waiting time for the main meal become so long that we never serve it. Unfortunately, that’s how we often approach the only relationship on earth that the Holy Spirit likens to that of Christ and His Church. Let’s not get too busy to make that time to enrich it (Eph. 5:25, 32).

So, let us part for now with these questions. Do you love your spouse as you did at courtship? Come on; look in their eyes and answer the question if you are together. Otherwise, allow the thought to disturb your day until you come together and honestly answer it. If your answer is yes, do you give your spouse the attention they deserve, as Solomon and his beloved gave to each other? 

Some of us already have some repenting to do as we approach Lent and begin an unequaled reformation since Luther published his Ninety-five Theses in 1517.

May your love sparkle as that of Solomon and his beloved, and may your marriage come alive for the glory of God, in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Pray with Me

Lord, we need help this morning. As we kneel before you, let your grace lift us up. Help us grow closer to you and in our relationship with Christ. May this intimacy reflect in our love for our spouses. Spirit Divine, teach us and help us build intimacy for the glory of Christ Jesus, amen.