It Starts Small

⁴ My love thrust his hand through the opening,
and my feelings were stirred for him.
⁵ I rose to open for my love.
My hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh
on the handles of the bolt.
I opened to my love,
but my love had turned and gone away.
My heart sank because he had left.
I sought him, but did not find him.
I called him, but he did not answer.

Songs 5:4-6

This is one of the most tender and piercing moments in the Song. The bride, swept away by an overwhelming tide of love, finally rises to open the door—but to her dismay, the Groom has vanished. Her heart, once riddled with uncertainty, now races with fervent desire. Yet, tragically, the opportunity seems lost. The emotional impact is staggering: yearning collides with silence, love confronts absence. This scene transcends mere moments of divine rejection—it’s an invitation to a more profound intimacy. Theologically, it reveals a God who cultivates our love, not through demands, but by igniting it through longing. God’s silence isn’t an act of abandonment; it’s an irresistible call. He withdraws not to chastise, but to amplify our hunger and sharpen the focus of our hearts.

⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

James 4:8

James passionately declares: Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you! Yet, this divine closeness often emerges from a heart’s deep longing, forged in the fiery heat of love that’s momentarily out of reach. In the times when we feel the emotional embrace of God slipping away, our spiritual hunger burns brighter, urging us to seek not merely the gifts He bestows, but the very essence of who He truly is.

Psychologically, this moment encapsulates a profound universal experience: the heart-wrenching realization of how desperately we need someone, often when it feels too late to act on it. This is not manipulation; it is the essence of growth. Love blossoms into something deeper when it is no longer taken for granted. The bride’s heart is now vibrantly alive, for the Groom’s presence can no longer be assumed, and this stirs a powerful truth in human attachment: absence reveals true value. Neuroscience reveals that the bonds of attachment are solidified through separation and reunion. The pain of separation ignites a deep yearning to reconnect – and when the reunion occurs, it feels even more sacred. In a similar vein, God occasionally withdraws His felt presence to nurture a faith that transcends mere feelings, establishing a foundation rooted in unwavering trust.

In this fervent longing, the bride’s pursuit turns fervently earnest. She sheds her former casualness, allowing her desire to crystallize into something profound, singular, and sacrificial. This stirring pain awakens – a sacred ache pulsates within every believer who has ever let slip a moment of obedience or missed a divine prompting. It does not condemn; instead, it beckons. It prepares the heart to fervently chase after love with renewed urgency and unwavering devotion.

In the end, this moment becomes sacred, a testament to the profound journey of the heart. The wound is genuine, yet it is the wound of love. And these wounds, far from destroying us, enrich our souls, allowing us to delve deeper into the essence of our relationship with the Lord.

Journal Prompt:

• Have you experienced a season where God felt distant?
• How did that shape your longing?

Practical Steps and Application:

1. Write about a time you felt distant from God – and how H eventually drew you close again.
2. Sit in silence or 5-10 minutes and simply whisper “I long for you, Lord.”
3. Listen to worship music that stirs your hunger for God’s Presence.

Deeper Introspection:

Read James 4:8.

⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

James 4:8

James 4:8 is a powerful invitation to intentional closeness with God, built on the reciprocal promise that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. This call for intimacy is followed by two specific actions: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” These actions represent the outward and inward cleansing necessary to restore a right relationship with God.

Drawing near

• The first move: The first part of the verse is a command: Draw near to God. While God is always with you, he waits for you to initiate the move toward a deeper relationship. What does “drawing near” look like in your daily life? How can you make it a more intentional, active part of your routine?
• A deeper desire: Do you truly desire a closer relationship with God? In Psalm 42:1–2, the psalmist writes, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Journal about your own desire for God’s presence.
• The promise: Reflect on the promise, “…and he will draw near to you.” What does God’s nearness feel like? In what specific ways have you experienced God drawing close to you after you intentionally sought him?

Cleansing and purifying

• Sins of the hands: To “cleanse your hands, you sinners” refers to outward actions—the things you do that go against God’s will. Write down any specific habits, behaviors, or “sins of the hands” you need to confess. What steps can you take to turn from these actions?
• The heart of the matter: To “purify your hearts, you double-minded,” addresses your inner world: your thoughts, motives, and loyalties. Do you find yourself being “double-minded,” torn between serving God and pursuing the world’s desires? What worldly “masters” are competing for your heart’s devotion, and how can you commit to wholehearted devotion to God?
• A clean heart: The psalmist prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Write your own version of this prayer, asking God to reveal and purify the motives of your heart that are not aligned with his.

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