The Bed of the Soul

In the midst of the daily grind, and the cares of life and family, there are times when I wonder if anyone loves me. It’s usually when I am pouring myself out for thankless others or something depressing has happened and I am in the throes of a raging pity party.


God doesn’t let me get away with that line of thought anymore, though, not since He taught me that He who hung the universe and counts days in billions of millennia, wrote a simple little song and hid it in a strange, but breathtaking book in the Bible, the Song of Solomon. A ballad about the intimate relationship between the richest king to ever rule Israel and a common girl, it is poetic and outspoken in its message of desire, and cloaked in a Shakespearean spirit that both reveals and conceals simultaneously.

The first chapter whispers, "The king has brought me into His chambers" (1:4), and reveals that it is the virgin who loves Him there (1:3). An echo of Matthew 5:8, He warns that only the virgin in heart are summoned to chamber. Yet far from withholding Himself from us, He crooks His finger in invitation, "I am dark, but lovely" (1:5). The word translated here as "dark" is derived from the root meaning "dim; requiring sincere, diligent search," and is related to the idea of an early rising. The search is so important, one must get up with the dawn, while most are still sleeping, to enquire early. The King of Kings implores you to rise with the dawn and press with all your heart and strength through His veil of secrecy, for He assures you He is lovely enough to warrant it (Mark 12:30).

He even instructs exactly where one can find Him: "O, my dove, in the clefts of the rock,/ In the secret places of the cliff,/ Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice;/ For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely" (Song 2:14). Hidden in the secret place of the mountain, within the cleft of His Son, the Voice of God is released, sounding, searching, echoing. Something amazing and terrible presses you toward Itself there. He longs to hear to your voice. He thinks you beautiful. His desire is toward you (7:10).

This romantic imagery is sometimes difficult for men to grasp, but there’s plenty of challenge for men too. St. Paul called our time on the earth a walk with God, but Song of Solomon calls it a battle that can only be won with strength, risk, heroism and danger. He calls His mighty men (3:8) to a sacrificial war (2:4). He says they are as virile as a stag (2:17), that they must guard against scavengers and spies (2:15), that they have the benefit of supernatural leadership (3:6) to accomplish the work and responsibilities He has entrusted to them (6:2). And oh, the abundance that awaits the lion hearted (7:11-13).

It is the heart's ache to touch its Lover that God desires for the man above all things. He would touch you as profoundly as you have touched Him. Like a brand, He would mark you possessively with Himself: "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, a most vehement flame" (8:6). The literal translation of "vehement flame" is, "a flame of YAH," a poetic form of YHWH, the ancient name of God revealed to Moses. The love of God is a fever on the soul. It is the flaming brand of mutual possession.

God makes a stunning promise in Hebrews: "He who comes to God must believe . . . that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (11:6). The mind streaks wildly with thoughts of things it might desire. But He reveals the curious prize. In Genesis 15:1 the LORD presents Abram with the reward. "I AM . . . your exceedingly great reward." The Lord declared Himself the reward. Is that somehow deflating? Can you think of something else you would rather have than Him? 

Was Abram's reward worth the stress and pain it took to abandon his home, possessions, and family, and journey without knowing where he was headed or what awaited him there? Is it to you? Can He satisfy your perception of the greatest reward you could ever receive? Yes. He can. He is the exceedingly great reward. "Exceedingly" means vehemently, urgently. "Great" is from the root meaning increase, heap up, multiply, abundant, blessed. The Lover is your furiously increasing reward, your exponentially multiplying abundance; the loveliest song. Interestingly, the word selected by the Church for this reward is the Beatific Vision, or beatitude. Simply stated, it is supreme ecstasy.

When He has total access to every thought and deed and attitude, the soul becomes a place of magic, and you will never again wonder if you are loved. He will touch you so deeply, reveal Himself so carefully, you will want to die. Instead, He hides us within Himself, merely peeking out to take part in the comedy and tragedy of life. As eerie as the loon’s cry on a dark lake, the voice pierces, and the secret bend of man's soul returns him once again to His God. Get up for the early rendezvous. 

Take yourself off the throne of your heart, end the adulterous affairs, drive all the other lovers from the bed of your spirit, and it will become a place of visitation, wonderful and strange. Be captured by the mysterious Lover that exists outside of any fantastic imagination. Don't make a sound, and hear Him roar in the silence.