Courting a King

Often, there are times of personal preparation when we know we will be involved in acts of intimacy.

When your relationship with someone moves passed the threshold of friendship and into the world of romance, your interaction with them changes. Your behavior changes even before you are in their presence. Your mind suddenly becomes more creative. A deep longing and powerful motivator beats in your heart. You begin to think of ways and ideas to impress them. You spend extravagantly and find ways to make money to prepare to offer yourself and your strength and your beauty to the one your heart desires. This creative power is harnessing potential in you to honor them to gain their affection with your best.

You become more aware of yourself and your state of being. You begin to evaluate yourself.

You posture yourself to represent yourself in the most appealing way. You want to be attractive to the one you intend to give your heart to. You clean yourself up and prepare your body, your mind and your heart for the closeness that comes with a personal love relationship.

This is a wonderful courtship that men have done throughout the ages. Every day the world gives us beautiful examples of how God sees us.

We are his bride and he is the Bridegroom.

“While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.” Song of Solomon 1:12

It’s romance. It’s intimacy. Sex is not the only great act of intimacy. It is a joyful and powerful life creating intimate act but there are other powerful things in this world that do not involve such touch.

When you find a letter addressed to you from a parent who has passed, that type of love reaches deeper. It touches the sore and broken parts of your heart and in a small way heals you. It reaches a place physical touch cannot.

When the nurse who took care of your dying mother drives into town on her time off to visit your family at the memorial service, that type of care reaches passed the physical world and into a place you didn’t even know you were hurting.

“Deep calls to deep…” Psalms 42:7

When the loving words of Jesus Christ finally sink in passed your stubbornness, pride and arrogance, you realize what your family has been trying to tell you all this time. You recognize the cost He has had to pay to demonstrate His love towards you.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

He has loved you in a way you did not even love yourself. He knew you before you knew yourself. In this way, God loves you into your true identity, the one He gave you. This realization is something that becomes part of your being. The bridegroom is passionately pursuing His bride.

How do we respond to this type of Jesus Christ kind of love?

What do we do?

We worship. We show our gratitude. We prepare ourselves to worship God with our soul. We prepare to worship God with our minds. We prepare our bodies as a clean temple so His Spirit can live in us.

This is the type of intimacy that requires preparation. It demands it. It’s too important. May our lives and worship always be a sweet-smelling fragrance to our King. King Jesus.