Dear soul, when you first came to Christ, he showed you his love. This love is ten thousand times
greater than any earthly
love. We said to Him, "I will follow you anywhere", because his
love is worth everything we have. And then, the experience
faded. Welcome back, world.But our God still loves us, even though time and trials seemed to have separated us for a while. We have an account of the delirious love between a man and a woman in the Song of Solomon. But it is more than that. It is a poetic description of our Lord's love toward us and ours toward him. It is inspired, not the vain ramblings of Shakespeare or Milton. Some who read it find offense, but the Jews kept it in the canon, and so have the Christians. There's a reason for this.
There are a few passages of note to the depressed.: 1) By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? 3:1-3 Again, 2) I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. 5:5-8. And finally 3) Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned (disdained). 6:6-7.
This is passionate stuff, not for the weak in heart. The soul is exercised with great longing, great loss, and great love. But the cost is tremendous. The flesh, once happy and satisfied, is now called into question. Will this satisfy the groom? No. He desires a godly seed. Therefore, we join him in his suffering. Jesus, who did no sin, nevertheless learned obedience by the things he suffered. Are we greater than he?
God is much pleased when we have joy in righteousness. But what when we have joy in the things of this earth? The false church will beat us because that is their job. They have no way of knowing who the beloved of God is. They think we are loose cannons, hoodlums, and feel that by burning us at the stake they are preserving the purity of the church. Jesus said this would happen. And yet, if we are the elect of God (and we have to be the elect or all of the words of love do nothing but cause us to continue in our sin unabated) this works to our good. And indeed, all those who live godly in Jesus Christ will suffer persecution. However, if we shrink back, his soul will have no pleasure in us. But we are not those who shrink back to perdition, but go on to the saving of the soul. That's why I say, let depression do its work. Let us be chastened. Before we were afflicted we went astray. If God did not afflict us (or allow us to be afflicted), then we would certainly backslide. But he comes after us and won't let us wallow in our sins.
This feels very depressing to the
flesh, but afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of
righteousness. Many (most) will reject this and go some other
way to relieve themselves of the chastening of the Lord. These
are those who go to destruction. Yes, we have to fear this God
and then our depression will flee away and the sun will shine on
us as we stand before God having no righteousness that we can
call our own, but the righteousness which is by faith in Christ.
In the meantime our Lord says, "Until the day break, and the
shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and
to the hill of frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love; there
is no spot in thee." Song of Solomon 4:6-7. And Paul says,
"Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this
seal, The Lord knows them that are his. And, Let every one that
names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." 2 Timothy 2:19
For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble
which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure,
above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we
had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust
in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead: Who delivered
us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust
that he will yet deliver us; - 2 Corinthians 1:8-10.
- Chris Simonson
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