Scripture: Song of Solomon 3:1 – “Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer.” (NRSV)
The Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs, is a strange biblical book. It is a collection of ancient love poetry that, other than references to the splendor of King Solomon, has nothing to do with God or the story of Israel. Even the earliest rabbis recognized this fact and interpreted it less than a racy story about newlyweds than as an expression written by Solomon himself which is an allegory to God’s relationship with Israel. Christians followed suite in their own interpretation, making it about God’s relationship with the Church or God’s relationship to the soul.
These interpretations allow for a prudish distance from the source material, but they sometimes lose the power of the imagery and emotions found in the text. Too often, we view our relationship with God through lens of obligation, radical difference, and theological complexity. God is our Lord, beyond comprehension, and judging us for anything that does not live up to a divine standard of perfection. But, even if the Song of Solomon is about the soul’s longing for God and not just erotic love, it is through those erotic feelings that we can best describe our need for God in our lives.
Chapter three begins with the “beloved”, the main female voice of the poems, lying awake in bed thinking about her love. She seeks him with her mind and then her feet, but at first cannot find him. Soon, they are reunited, and their love is all the more powerful for that time of separation. When you are in love, there is an aching need to be with the person that you love. When you are lonely or feeling isolated or the object of your love does not return your affection, the emotional and even physical necessities can be overwhelming. With age and distance, these seem like the follies of youth, but there is an honesty to those feelings that we should be applying to God.
Instead of seeing God as an intellectual abstract or a giver of commandments, we should seek God and long for God with the same passion and fervor as the lovers from the Song. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” We need that childhood trust and innocence to get beyond the jaded judgments of our adulthood. Likewise, we need that same torrential longing for God to cut through the spiritual inertia that so often marks our faith life. So, if you feel like your passion for God is waning, do not just move on with life with God as a distant thought, but stay awake at night, race out into the (metaphorical) streets, and call God’s name. Search for the Lord, who will find you when it is most necessary for you. Your highest joy will be complete.
Prayer: God, reignite my longing for you, your truth, and your love. Amen.
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