I Hear the Voice of My Beloved!
By: David McFadden
“Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.”— Song of Songs 2:10
Listen quietly; I hear the voice of my Beloved! He speaks to me! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the earth, and He would not have me spiritually asleep while nature is all around me awaking from her winter’s rest. He bids me, “Rise up,” and well He may, for I have long enough been lying among the dens of worldliness. He calls me, “Come away.” The sweet sound is melodious and inviting, so what is there to hold me in this wilderness of vanity and sin?
He is risen, I am risen in Him, why then should I cleave unto the dust? Shouldn’t a “fair one” willingly leave the lower loves, carnal desires, vain pursuits and selfish aspirations? If He has exalted me, and thinks of me as comely, how can I linger in the tents of Kedar to continue to associate with the sons of men? He bids me, “Come away.”
He calls me by the sweet title of “My love,” and counts me fair; How can I resist? I will rise towards Him. When I answer His call, my Beloved will take me further and further from everything selfish, groveling, worldly and sinful. Yes, even from the outwardly religious world which knows Him not—the Pharisees who have no understanding of the mystery of a Spirit-led life.
You call me to Yourself by saying, “Come away,” and this is an alluring call indeed. O my Lord, I do desire to come away with You, but I am entangled among the thorns of compromise and lusts, and I cannot escape from them. O LORD, I bid You to raise me, draw me to answer You rightly. Search my heart and You will see that I prefer to have neither eyes, nor ears, nor heart for sin.
Do You not see that my heart yearns to come to You? I long to come home from exile, to come out of the raging storm, to come to rest after long labor. Coming home is the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes. But LORD, how can a stone rise from the horrible pit, how can a lump of clay come away from the quarry? Your grace can do it! Send forth Your Holy Spirit to kindle sacred flames of love in my heart, and I will continue to rise until I leave this life and its earthly time behind me, and indeed come away with You.
—Charles H. Spurgeon, adapted from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening, Inc. All rights reserved.
Taking God’s Word Back to Him
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your still small voice that calls me to come away with You, even to the high places of communion. Thank You for knowing the intents of my heart and seeing that I need rescuing from the cares of this world. LORD, Your voice is sweet and melodious and inviting, so what is there to hold me in this wilderness of vanity and sin? Listen to my cry, “I will rise towards You and answer Your call, my Beloved.” LORD, give me my heart’s desire and take me further and further from everything selfish, groveling, worldly and sinful. Help me more-and-more understand and walk in the mystery of a Spirit-led life. Send forth Your Holy Spirit to kindle sacred flames of love in my heart, and I will continue to rise until I leave this life and its earthly time behind me, and indeed come away with You. I praise You and ask these petitions in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Excerpted and adapted from David McFadden’s “Deeper Life Series”.
For more articles from this series go to: https://www.deeperlifeseries.com/devotional-archive
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