“You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; you have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes, with a single strand of your necklace.”
—Song of Songs 4:9  

Reflection

Many of us think of Jesus as somehow too holy to share in or be moved by our human experience. We sometimes tend to think of Father God as distant and separate from our lived experience. We think of Him as our provider, our protector, our Creator, but we do not often imagine Him being moved or receiving pleasure from our love for Him.

But the truth is our God humbly clothed Himself in humanity. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. He identifies with us to such a degree that He feels what we feel. The Son of God gets excited over His bride’s love for Him.

Song of Songs says, You have made my heart beat faster. Some translations read, You have ravished my heart. The clear meaning is that when we put Him first in our lives, it excites Him, blesses Him, and brings Him pleasure and happiness.

God said to Israel, “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” He also said, “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people.” While He is eternally complete and lacks nothing, somehow He has arranged things so that we can add to His pleasure. God is so secure and complete in Himself that with no loss of any kind He can put Himself in a position to be touched by us.

Jesus keeps track of every single act of love we perform. Every time you get up early in the morning to spend time with Him, it moves His heart. Every time you are gracious when someone is mean to you, it means something to Him. Every time you let someone go in front of you in traffic in order to abide in Him, He delights. Every time you breathe a prayer for a loved one, or for an enemy, Jesus knows it, feels it, and rejoices in it.

We often do not imagine that we have any power to bring Him joy or to hurt Him. Yet Scripture says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” We can make God sad. Conversely, when we choose to love Him and put Him first in our lives, it makes His heart beat faster.

Beloved, your love matters to Him. Your choices matter to Him. Your devotion touches Him. You are not simply receiving from God. In the mystery of His love, He has allowed your love for Him to bring pleasure to His heart.

Application

• Put Jesus first today in a specific act of love, remembering that your devotion moves His heart.
• Recognize that even small choices to abide in Him, love others, and spend time with Him mean something to Him.

Prayer

Father, thank You that You are not distant from my lived experience, but that You have allowed Yourself to be touched by my love. Jesus, help me understand that when I put You first, it brings pleasure to Your heart. I want my choices, my obedience, my prayers, and my time with You to express genuine love for You. Keep me from grieving Your Spirit, and teach me to live in a way that brings You joy. May my heart become more fully Yours, and may my love make Your heart beat faster. In Messiah Jesus’ name, amen.