Rise up My Love, and Come Away (comment post) April 20, 2007

Because of questions I have recieved in writing my last post, I am writing this hopefully to clarify the heart of my previous post.

The heart of the Shulamite in Song of Songs 2 is not one of rebellion in which she does not want what her beloved has asked. She is simply terrified. I heard someone give the analogy once of a girl who falls in love with this awesome tender, beautiful man while on vacation in a distant country. Nearing the end of her trip, the beloved comes to her doorstep dressed for war and calmly invites her to come with him as He conquers upon the mountains. What??? Are you serious?

The face of invitation Jesus shows us in this portion of the book is one of a warrior, conquering every place that hinders love. While she has only seen him under the shade tree, mellow and lovely, she is now seeing Him as a conquering lion inviting her to help Him on His quest for whole hearted love.

Another way to describe this scene, is in the garden of Gethsmene. Jesus is being arrested and every one of His disciples that He had spent the last 3 years with, takes off terrified before what was happening. They weren’t abadononing him because they suddenly decided they were done with him, but becuase they had no idea where to go from there, they had no idea how to say yes, so they fled.

A few months and years down the road these same disciples mature and grow, and change the known world with the gospel of the same man they forsook in the garden.

The “no” in the heart of man that is rooted in rebellion and hatred of the leadership of Jesus, refusing to surrender complete control to the Lord, is the no of the Pharasees who stared their own Messiah in the face and refused him. This is the “no” that seers the conscious and hardenes the heart.

That fact that one feels the terror of being left behind and their heart hardened is one that is probably completely on the right path. No need to worry where we fit on the maturity scale (if there is such a thing) let the Lord in His perfect leadership deal with that, our job is to just agree with what He brings our way following every prompting of the Holy Spirit. When the decision is terrifying, ask for help, surrender control and trust that He knows what He is doing and exactly how to lead us into perfection.

My point in the last post, was that we cannot continue to turn down the invitation with the excuse of “I’m still not ready yet.” we will never be “ready.” The whole point of the invitation is to make us ready for His plan, which is always way different than what we thought we needed to be ready for.

Rise up My Love, and Come Away April 12, 2007

“My beloved spoke and, and saidto me: Rise up my love, my fair one, And come away.” SOS 2:10

In a time of transition and change, when when the Lord is calling us into something higher, fear is such a mighty force. Most are comfortable in their own “beds” and want to come higher when the invitation is given, but are to afraid to say yes.

Many out of fear use the excuse that they are afraid, but when the next invite comes then they will say yes. There is the agreement with the fact that we’re dark yet lovely, and immaturaty is not rebellion which is not bad in itself, but the problem is doing this over and over again for years and years.

It is good to know dark but lovely, and we have to know that He enjoys us in our weakness, but we cannot stay there. He wants a partner to run on the mountains with Him, to be with Him as a bride. The way that He conquers our fears and immarutriy is by calling us higher with eyes of adoration and safety. This call usually looks like like a season change; some sort of transition where we are thrown for a loop and take a few days to recover from all the changes that will or have been taking place.

When this is first experienced the response out of fear and immaturity is no. “Turn, my beloved” This is normal and we all go through it. There comes a point though, where grace is given to say yes and it is clear that we must rise up from our place of comfort and go with Him. In places (such as IHOP) where dark but lovely is such a theme, it seems to remain easy to just admit the fact that we are dark and immature and work on it, yet never say yes. YEEEK! No one might really know, but when the Spirit is poured out, even to a small measure, those who have denied the training of the mountain (sos 2:8) will be replaced. Because in there hearts they did not allow the Lord to grow them in the way He saw fit.

We cannot remain in the place of comfort if we want to move forward in God. Life in the Spirit is not comfortable. We live in a “body of death” in a fallen world with a sin nature. Therefore if we have been comfortable for more than a few years (generous) then I would bet there have been some invitations that have been turned down. (Of course no beating yourself up, repent and get up.) The Lord is on the move and if we want to stay with Him we have got to let go of every expectation, ambitions, pride, positions, promotions we so desperatley crave and let God write the story, or we will be trampled and become hard, bitter, and left behind in the very wave of God we were invited to ride on top of.

I love what Mike said at service the other night. “It safer on the water with Jesus, then in the boat without Him.” UGG! That is absolutley terryifying to think about, but how can we say no. To be in the center of His will is to be with Him where He is (Jn 17). To know that He said yes to these same invitations as a man, and now prays for us with the same emotions and feelings knowing exactly what it feels like. “Truly we have an intercessor who can sympathise.” (Heb 4:15) This is grace, if we ask He will give it. If He is the one giving the invitation, grace is right around the corner.