Scarcely had I left them when I found him whom my soul loves; I held on to him and would not let him go.
—Song of Songs 3:4

Reflection

After a season of discipline, we may come to realize that we are not going to find our Beloved simply by lying in bed praying. There comes a time when we must arise.

“I must arise now and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I must seek him whom my soul loves” (Song 3:2).

There is just one problem. Sometimes our obedience is incomplete. The Lord calls us to arise and go to the mountaintop, but we arise and go about the city instead. It is almost as if we are bargaining with our Beloved, offering to obey in part but not in the whole.

I wonder how many times you and I are like that. God asks us to do something specific, and we try to compromise with Him. We say, “OK, Lord, I’ll do it this way but not that way.” How many times do we spur ourselves to action, but not the action He wants?

Rather, we go to a place of distractions. The city is not necessarily a bad or sinful place, but it becomes the wrong place when God has called us somewhere else.

Perhaps the Lord is calling someone to serve in a homeless shelter. Instead of obeying, that person increases Christian activity by going to conferences, reading books by Christian authors, and joining Bible studies, all while avoiding the homeless shelter to which he has been called.

Beloved ones, we will not find the Lord unless we obey Him.

The deep fellowship we desire does not come without obedience. God will not be impressed if we are running diligently around the city when He has called us to the mountaintop. Religious activity cannot take the place of doing the specific thing He has asked of us.

At times we may even go to spiritual authorities, asking them for the answer. But they may not be equipped to give us the key of release and peace we are looking for because we are avoiding something the Lord has already told us to do. No amount of counsel can replace obedience.

Yet even in our disobedience, Jesus reveals Himself anew to draw us beyond that place. He has never left us, but at times He may withdraw the sense of His presence as discipline. When His presence is made known again, it should awaken greater determination within us.

This time, we must say, “I am not going to let disobedience get in the way of my relationship with my Bridegroom, King Jesus, ever again.” Seize His Word. Arise, obey Him fully, and hold on to the One whom your soul loves.

Application

• Ask the Lord whether you have replaced a specific act of obedience with increased religious activity.
• Arise and do the thing He has called you to do, without bargaining or partial obedience.

Prayer

King Jesus, I do not want disobedience to stand in the way of my relationship with You. Forgive me for bargaining with You and offering partial obedience when You have spoken clearly. Show me where I have been running around the city when You have called me to the mountaintop. Give me courage to arise and do exactly what You have asked. I will hold on to You and not let disobedience separate me from the deep fellowship my soul desires. Amen.