Gentle, Jealous Lover

“Hear my love song.

Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth.

Hear my praises.

Ravish your love on me.

Hear my heartcry.

Grow inside of me.

Hear my adoration.

Spill forth from me.

Hear my cry for help.

Quench my foolish lusts.

Breathe in the incense of my prayer.

Be my life.

Taste the fruit of my offerings.”

I wrote the previous blurb this morning, then, hours later find myself sprinting after selfish pursuits of an idol to fill my felt emptiness.  Once again unfulfilled and squaring up to my foolishness, a frail sinner bumbles outdoors to wallow in self-pity.   Yet, within moments, sitting in the shade of a tall cottonwood tree, I catch a glance skyward of a soaring, circling hawk.  Though I thrill at the sight and long to gaze, I only catch brief glimpses as the hawk appears, then disappears through small openings between branches and leaves for mere seconds before it vanishes into the powder blue canopy.

It’s enough!

Enough to remember repentance is a gift.

I do secret business with Christ, exchanging sins for forgiveness in a millisecond; exchanging wallow for wonder.

My tongue touches my lips and I notice the sweetness of His kisses remain, linger.  Consecration.

O what a Savior!  O, to be pursued by a gentle, jealous lover!

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. (Song of Solomon 1:2)

Dancing in the Feed Shed…with Trinity

Do you have a picture in mind when you think of the Dance of the Trinity?  Well, here’s mine.  (Click on it to enlarge)  Silage is being augured toward a batch mixer before being distributed to cattle.  It cannot be contained!  You may notice the silage leaps and spins about under influence of violent emotion (Ha Ha… that’s the Strong’s Concordance definition for a few uses of the word “Rejoice!”; and Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius describes it as: go round or about , be excited to levity)  For example:  Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Okay, I’m quite sure my depiction or any attempt at a description of Trinity pales in comparison to the beauty and mystery and dynamics of the subject, but for now, I’m going to stick with this image because I know a secret.  I happen to know there are three distinct ingredients making up the mix that sure looks like one.  But mainly, I’m sticking with it because I see it repeated every day.  Usually very early in the morning before I’m fully awake, but I can’t stop dancin’!  I feel invited in every time.

I don’t wish to ruin the image by having you guess what a sight it is for Ron to dance in the feed shed.  Dancing is difficult in dairy boots and before caffeine kicks in, so do I really dance? No one’s looking, are they?   I’ll keep you guessing on that one, but something leaps and twists and shouts inside me that can’t be contained in the auger of my heart.  My tired, heavy arms shoot upward as do the corners of my mouth.  My soul verbalizes something like, “Oh, Trinity, it’s You… Again!  You made this day.  I will rejoice.”

Notice Him

Notice Him.

Recognize His way of appearing.

No one saw Him leave the tomb, but a few recognized Him, noticed Him, touched Him, spoke with Him, ate with Him.

A few.

In my experience, He initiates when, where, how long.  Sometimes I know.  Often my response is thanks or praise, but I’ll praise anyway.  Remembering helps.  But there’s no formula for remembering.  Allow surprise.  He may speak your name like He did to Mary in the garden, the first person He appeared to.  He may or may not let you touch Him.  You may have doubts and serious questions for Him.  That’s okay.  You may wish to thrust your hand in His side, or place your fingertips in His nail-wounded hands.

His voice may sound different than you expected.  He may be mistaken for the gardener.  Or, His hair might be white as wool and He carries a sword in His teeth.  You may be speechless.  Your heart might burn within you.  Your encounter may be enough, or you may ask for another.

You may notice Him in the way He places the clouds, or in the mountains, or in the song of a sparrow, the instinct of a newborn calf, the smell of grandpa’s pipe smoke.  You may notice or hear Him in the wind as you position yourself with your eyes closed to face directly into the windy gale or soft, almost imperceptible breeze.

How did the large rock sealing His tomb move away.  How could it not!   A few days before, the earth quaked while He suffered the crosses torture.  What makes us think any rock would stand in His way.  What then, in our lives, can prevent Christ, the risen one from moving into our hearts?  Moving in with resurrection style life?  Sin has no more weight when forgiven.  A stony heart can’t resist a God emerging from our deserved death!

Genuine forces, matters of addiction, oppression, doubt, and deception may appear formidable.  But the control is powerless and false, unable to stand when the rock sealing our heart, the tomb, starts to vibrate and shake with Almighty God Himself doing business, letting light, forgiveness, healing explode within.

For me, I get an image in my mind of a riled up stallion set free from his stall.  He displays his freedom in a surge forth, head thrown back, hooves flailing, nostrils flaring and snorting blasts of steamy breath.  His blood is hot and he searches where to enter into the battle.  To sacrifice. To protect.  To provide.  To produce life.