How sweet to walk In endless peace
With endless songs employ
Filled with the Spirit deep within
And seas of endless joy.
To walk a road in faith’s embrace
Desire the company true
His person and His privilege
Will enemy lines eschew.
The saint who stumbles daily
Will daily seek repose
Resting in the loving arms
Of a Saviour’s full enclose
It’s a matter of perception
I embarked on a service for God, which fell to me since no one else would or could do it. It was a difficult service and full of sacrifice, heartache, disappointment and the love of God. It was such a challenging work, other Christians found it very hard to come alongside and help. Some came once or twice, a few stayed for a few months, but in the end, it became impossible for me to go on. God gave strength for six years. An amazing time and one that brought me close to the heart of God, and close to the heart of the people who lived in that location.
There was so much time and effort exerted, and even as I constantly walked around the area, I knew God was with me. I was never afraid, even in the darkness of night. Everyone treated me kindly and I felt a belonging there, even though I did not physically live there. My heart was there. Faith makes it possible and love makes it last.
The Christian leaders in my life at that time, could not support me. No one heard me speak, or knew what the message was. Perhaps they guessed. I eventually left that life behind and enjoyed the glory of God, in a ministry few understood. Sides helped set up equipment and came most times, but couldn’t embrace a wider ministry for himself. Others moved in and out. This is the challenge in the work of Christ in our days. We must be prepared to rest wholly on God and expect only what or who He sends. One friend drove two hours, two hours at the club and two hours driving home. Another would set up the equipment for sound and vision for a year, then someone else took over, when they moved on. Some promised eternal devotion and were never seen again.
I believe this work was made clear to those who sit in churches, to show them where they are and what they should be doing. We live in harsh times, and God looks for fruit where there are no seeds. His love will not permit us to keep the pews warm and have no lively service for His glory and the salvation of precious souls, wherever they may be.
Whatever was provided by God, was what was needed. The glory all is the Lord’s and that He lifted up an unapproved and unsuspected leader, to do this task. It was monumental and when it closed down after six years, my heart was broken. And yet the glory remained. We may be broken but not destroyed. God speaks and we obey. We might think we can’t do a given task, the flesh cannot. But Christ is all in all. He raises up the unlikely and the disregarded. He can do anything, things greater than moving mountains. Moving minds and hearts to even listen to the challenge of the gospel message.
Our young ones face enormous fears, temptations and doubts. We live in a world of violence and heartbreak. We cover it over with changing identity, assuming celebrity, and the glitter that is not gold. We need Jesus Christ who alone can dispel our darkness. Only He can forgive and dwell in us for our eternal good. It does not matter about tiredness, aching body and rejection of mind – we are sustained. Every trial is preparation for the next task. We follow our Lord Jesus right to the end, when God will call His people home to His full-time endless service, which will be pure delight.
Until then, I will wait for Him and be and speak for Him. I will tell people what He is really like and display the joy of knowing Him. The illness God has called me to carry, I do so with great joy. It is a special illness that is given to those saints who He knows will fight the fight and overcome in The power of the Spirit. The enemy is grievous, but victory is certain. My weakness is the same it has ever been – in dwelling sin, but that also fades. The closeness of Christ is the place of joy for the believer.
What next? I don’t know, but God will open the way before me, and I will enter in. There is no person too difficult, or situation too complex, that He will not give the wisdom to see and the power to act. Perhaps He is protecting me from the buffering of detractors and the offended pride of religious leaders. I write commentaries at the moment, and no one is more surprised than me.
I have spent all my life reading good material. I love the Word of God, and long to know it more and practice wisdom. I want others to know this too.
At present I am facing the work of Satan. Sides has decided to throw me off as his wife after 36 years and I am absolutely furious. He has no one else he just wants to be on his own and live his own life in his own way. The selfishness and conceit is stunning. He has decided to be silent and non- communicative as his family tradition is. I am stunned at the level of stubbornness and raw pride. I am now having to cope with anger as a Christian person and learn how to live with it and deal with it on a day-to-day moment by moment basis. I’ve no idea where this is going. I know who I’m going with and I will follow him right to the end. I pray my hindrances will be taken out of the way and I will be set free to live a life for the glory of God and for the pleasure of my own self as I walk with him.
Tiredness facilitated good sleep. It is healthy to be active in the day and go to bed tired. It is satisfying to do your work, be paid and rest easy in the night.
To rest is to be pleased with life and full of vigour and liveliness. To sit down and relax for a moment is a delight and then to engage with the day and the activities it brings.
We sleep because the Lord is good and will keep us as we sort through our moments and prepare our minds and bodies and souls, for the next day…
“If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.”
The woman now gets some advice from her friends. They tell her to be more bold and more forward about carrying out her daily duties and not worrying about how it will look to other people. They tell her she is beautiful, and she knows it. She must be confident in her beauty, not just the outward sign of dark skin, but the inner beauty of service and overcoming in the face of oppression. She is beautiful in all respects, and must know that her truly Beloved will see her and recognise that she is the one for him.
We also must know that the beauty we possess in Christ is the beauty He requires of us and the beauty that will draw Him to us and us to Him. We must not be apologetic about how we serve or how we worship of show our love for our one true love. The beauty we possess is complete, because it is complete in Him. We reflect the beauty of His person and His character, and no one can take this away from us. We see it. We recognise it and are confident in the work that the Beloved One is doing in our lives. We will not be intimidated to change or excuse ourselves or apologise for being too like Him.
The woman must graze her sheep and young goats, by the tents of the shepherds. She will be accepted by them, Even they are also about he business of the Beloved. They recognise her and will give her sustenance and support. She will not be left destitute, though many would make her so.
“At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light .” …
Matthew 11: 25-29
All things are provided for the bride of the Lord. He will ensure they have rest and the necessities of life. He will provide all things and make all things right for them.
The woman need not fear, because her Beloved has influences and effects far beyond her remit. The Beloved One provides all that the woman will need and she need never fear, or wonder how she will cope with her situation. The people around her will provide and God softened the hearts of people, to help His own. So we need never fear either, for the table is spread before us at all times.
“Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?”
Oh, to openly associate with the Beloved and to be accepted as His equal and partner. The woman seeks to share in his life and be familiar with his ways and deeds. We seek our Beloved and long to be like Him.
We want to know His ways and to be familiar with how He does things. We want to share in His work and find out how it is that He does what He does. So also the truly Beloved seeks her love, and wants to be with him and be familiar with him and not be a stranger to him. She wants to know where he rests in the middle of the day so she can visit him and she can spend time with him in the middle of the day as well as at the end of the day. She wishes to be involved in all parts of his life. She does not want to be a woman who a veil over her face and so, does not take part in what he does. She doesn’t want to be a stranger to his life, and the activities he takes part in, and have to hide her self away from all those around him. She wants to belong. Belonging is driving her to be a seeker of her beloved. She seeks him morning, day and evening. She will never give up her search because he is a prize worth searching for.
We also search after Him who we love. We seek a Saviour and a friend and a lover. We seek someone he will keep us, someone who will be with us forever and never let us down. We seek him morning and in the day and in the evening, and we will never give up our search. We search in the place we know that we will find him, in the Holy Scriptures, for they reveal Him to us and give us a for taste of what is ahead, on that great wedding day, of the Lamb.
So let us not be put off by the things in this life, let us not be disappointed by the things that trouble us, and let us not let pain or disappointment, hamper our way to the heavenly kingdom where we will find our truly Beloved. He will walk with us every day and He will never leave us or for sake us. We will be truly blessed because we will find him because we search for him with all of our hearts.
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Jeremiah 29: 12-14
“Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect.”
The dark skin is as a result of hard and harsh labour. Instead of being sheltered from work and the beating rays of the midday sun, the Woman has had to labour hard for the sake of other family members.
The men have put her to work and she has no time to looks after herself or what is rightly hers. She makes sacrifices for the sake of others and it means she has little reward for herself. He skin is dark because of the long hours of toil under the hot sun. Her hair is short to make it easy to manage.
The Beloved sees and knows. He knows her situation and all her strength of character that drives her to serve the unworthy.
The Woman has endured anger not deserved and bitterness not asked for. She has fulfilled all her vows to the detriment of herself but she has gained the Prize…
The true love of the Beloved.
She will never loose out and will be adored forever.
“I will exalt you, LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
Psalm 30:1-5
V2
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.”
Straight in with romantic and sexual passion. True desires asks for the deep intimacy that brings lips together and is so pure and fulfilling. The woman desires the man to kiss her on the mouth. She is overcome with love and the devotion that comes from a heart given freely. She desires Him because He desires her. This is mutual love and desire to be together at all times. It is not normal to want intimacy and yet be happy apart.
The Woman appeals to the Lord. She asks the Lord that He will let her true love kiss her on the mouth. This is the sacred place, the place of fellowship and privilege. To know the Lord and be guided by Him, is the greatest of situations. He will guide His people continually.
The kisses she seeks are from His mouth. The reciprocation of true and heartfelt desire. This is the place of communion and the marriage of true love. Not every kiss is such a kiss but is reserved for truth and justice and fellowship.
These kisses are true and the sweetest of the wine of communion. The old testament echoes the instigation of the Love Feast of the broken bread and the wine that speak of the remembrance of the love of Christ. Communion with Him in His sufferings and the enjoyment of forgiveness and the peace of God. The kisses of love are sweeter than any wine, and the kisses of Christ are sweet to them taste of the believer.
To be in that close place with Christ is the desire of every Christian soul. To be in the closeness of that place and to feel the touch of his face upon ours, and to know the kiss of his lips on ours, is the closest place to be. This is where we grow. This is where we become strong in the Lord and we become like him and love and sacred passion. Oh that our kisses with Christ would be like sweet wine, that we would meet with Him in His true communion and experience that closeness every time we come into His presence.
Freedom is a wingèd bird
It flies up and through and no one can stop it
The ascent is glorious and by provoked Liberty…
No one can stop the soaring. It lifts our spirits above the usual and transforms our outlook to something above and beyond. It is a bird that cannot to tied down.
Anything that tries to bring it down is a threat and an enemy. The negative, critical and blaming spirit that tries to stop the flight of imagination and dream and vision.
Put all these to flight. Lift up our minds to the beyond and the endless possibilities that are today. Fly….
What is treasure?
Isaiah 33:5-6
“The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”
In these times we need this treasure of the Lord, as at no other time in our history. We call out to Him. We depend on His justice and righteousness, and the fact that He is real is our foundation stone in all things.
He will save us and give us wisdom to survive.
As we fear Him, so He is lifted up and honoured in our lives and communities, and we are safe from harm, covered by the blood of Christ. This is our true treasure.
V1
Introduction to the Song of Songs
Songs songs is a unique document it is one of the Megillot scrolls, found in the last section the old testament is of the Hebrew Bible and is it part of Proverbs Ecclesiastes and other wisdom books. The picture in this writing, is regarded as a romance a story between God and Israelite people; between God and those who truly believe in him; as well between the Lord Jesus and his church. It also shows the love between believers in their relationship with each other, and together as a church body in Christ, and also believers in the individual relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
It was read after the night of the Passover, and was a blessing of love to all who heard the words of this amazing book. It is romance. It is romance on the big scale between God and the people that he loves. It also is romance on the smaller scale between gods people and each other. It is also remains on a huge scale between the people Who love the Lord Jesus Christ and their individual relationship with him.
This book has much to offer us but unfortunately it’s often ignored. Is regarded just an informal worldly point of you as a book about romance, and the love between a man and a woman. But this is to ignore the deep meaning of the book, and the love God has for his people it surpasses romantic love and yet for fills up and validates its power and eternal bonds that is holds for those who love in this way.
The body of Holy Scripture is deep and eternal. We cannot reduce it to one aspect of life or narrowly interpret it according to culture, tradition or education. It is the unchanging and challenging word of God.
God is not afraid to use different genres to get his message across. He’s not afraid of love or sex, because he invented them in the first place. His message of salvation and love for the human race is portrayed for us here as a story of sexual love. It does not have a story pattern as such it does not seem to have I straightforward structure but is the conversations between the man and the woman- tween the two lovers we love each other with all of their hearts. Expressing the love in terms of passion; in terms of sexual desire; and in terms of lifelong devotion- eternal devotion to each other. We can find this in this life but we may not. But even so we find it, for all of us in Christ, adoring him i’m loving him all our lives long. He is the Lover, He is the lover of our souls and provides for us and rescues us from this present evil age.
The two lovers rejoice in each others company and rejoice to spend sexual time together and touch and enjoy the closeness of the bodies prepared for them. Their songs reflect this, songs above all love songs, is a series of songs that makes this God- authored Song above all.
This book is a turn on. It will awaken desire and cause us to want to enter in. We can access that in the physical, and also the spiritual, emotional and intellectual. It tends not to be read, or read openly, because of the sexual content. We become prudish very quickly and separate sex from life and become judges with filthy hearts.
In modern Judaism, the song is read at the end of Passover, and the beginning of the release from the slavery in Egypt. It is the ultimate love letter from God to His people, and they relish the love He pours out to them. The Israelites read it every year, it was so important to them. We do not appear quite so interested and we fail to see beyond the obvious and miss the deeper message that God would have us see.
There is a structure of sorts, but not like any other Bible book.
• Introduction (1:1–6)
• Dialogue between the lovers (1:7–2:7)
• The woman recalls a visit from her lover (2:8–17)
• The woman addresses the daughters of Zion (3:1–5)
• Sighting a royal wedding procession (3:6–11)
• The man describes his lover’s beauty (4:1–5:1)
• The woman addresses the daughters of Jerusalem (5:2–6:4)
• The man describes his lover, who visits him (6:5–12)
• Observers describe the woman’s beauty (6:13–8:4)
• Appendix (8:5–14)
Let us look into this book and examine the layers of depths, the language and the sentiment expressed here in this Song over all other songs.
Daughters of the Kingdom 