Song of Solomon 2:14

(14) "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."

The verses we studied last session spoke about the bride of Christ rising up to partner with her bridegroom King in the great harvest. He has drawn her out of the 'secret place' to begin to run with Him on the mountaintops. But she is reluctant. She loves the secret place with Him. If it were left up to her, it would be just Him and her forever. But the Lord wants a partner to work with Him in the harvest. There is a time for all of us when we must come 'out of ourselves,' and be about our Father's business. And there is a promise to those who will run with Him. A small portion of this promise is found here in v. 14.

As the bride steps out into the harvest field, and begins the climb up the mountain, there is a promise that the Lord will be with her; a time when they will be able to fellowship intimately while on the journey. There will be openings, or crevices in the rocks where they will rest. There will be 'secret places' even in the climb up the cliff. It is there, the Lord says, He wants your full attention and wants to hear your voice, for it is sweet to Him. You are beautiful to Him.

You see, He loves to be with you as much as you love being with Him. But He has a mandate from His Father, and His desire is to see that mandate completed. He has others that belong to Him, that are still in bondage to the things of the world; and it is those that He is going after in the harvest fields and on the mountain tops. Nothing will deter Him from that ultimate purpose.

But the amazing thing is, we are allowed to partner with Him in this plan. And as we do, we find our time alone with Him, though it may be different and maybe not quite as frequent, is sweeter than ever, and more precious than in the past. It causes us to long for those extended times of intimate communion. And it is the same with the Lord. The bride that has chosen to go with Him, and help fulfill His purpose, the one that is also busy about her Father's business, is one He loves deeply. His desire, like hers, is to have that intimate communion. But, like her, He waits and longs for that opportunity to arise. Although He never leaves us or forsake us, those times in the secret place are extra special to them both.

Get the picture? It's much like being newly married, and you can't wait to get home to your spouse to just be with them. You have a job, you have to work, but your heart is with him or her throughout the day, just waiting for the time you will be together. That is exactly how our bridegroom King feels towards us. There is a longing in His heart to see and hear us. And He knows we feel the same, because He calls us His dove. We have focused vision, and it's on Him.

Remember as we grow in maturity, we will have more responsibility in the Kingdom (working in the harvest field or on the mountaintop to help bring others into His kingdom), but our first priority will always be Him. It is the most sweetest and delightful priority...