LOOKING FOR YOU
Opening Prayer
Christ, I wait here in silence for You. Meet me here. Show me who You are.
Read Song of Songs 2:8 – 3:11
8 Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
He
14 My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
15 Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.
She
16 My beloved is mine and I am his;
he browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
on the rugged hills.[a]
3 All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
2 I will get up now and go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
So I looked for him but did not find him.
3 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
to the room of the one who conceived me.
5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
6 Who is this coming up from the wilderness
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and incense
made from all the spices of the merchant?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,
the noblest of Israel,
8 all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.
9 King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 11 come out,
and look, you daughters of Zion.
Look[b] on King Solomon wearing a crown,
the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
the day his heart rejoiced.
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether
- Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How did you find God? Or did He find You?As I write, spring is arriving. Trees are bursting into leaf; blossom brings promise of brighter days and fruitfulness (2:11–13). So, the young couple, full of joyful anticipation, walk through delights and anxieties, rejoicing in their pre-nuptial celebrations (2:7; 3:5).
The first poem (2:8–17) tells of the man’s search for his beloved (9,10). He calls to her and they walk the hills until sunrise (2:17). Take a moment to think of God’s searching love for you. In the following poem (3:1–5), the girl has a sleepless night – perhaps she is dreaming! She cannot find ‘the one my heart loves’ (3:1). Desperate, she takes risks as she looks for him – then is surprised by his presence (3:4). Remember dark moments in your life when God has surprised you by his nearness.
The last poem (3:6–11) describes a wedding procession. It’s not so much about expensive arrangements, but richness of relationship. Here is love (3:10),safety, and joy in the midst of community (‘prepared for … terrors,’ 3:8) and family celebration (3:11).
Our Christian perspective takes us to the ups and downs of our own relationship with God. We can rest assured; there is safety and joy in His love.
Apply
Would you consider your relationship with God rich? How would you go about enriching a romantic relationship? What principles could carry over?
Closing prayer
Lover of my soul, teach me how to love You more.
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