Day 71: Searching

Matthew 22:23-46; Numbers 22:1-40; Songs 2:8-3:5

The Lord's commandments are life and breath to my soul.  My first pursuit in life is to love God with everything I am and have.  The beauty of that is, that if I allow that love to flow from me to God and then receive his abundant love in return, the other commandment is simply an outpouring of the first.  Loving others just becomes an extension of loving God.  I think the fact that Jesus summed up the entire law and prophets in two sentences demonstrates exactly what Jesus is all about.  He isn’t about specific rules or practices.  He isn’t about making salvation more complicated.  He isn’t about being pious, competitive, or selfish.  He is about complete surrender and commitment.  He is also about putting God and others above me.

The story of Balaam means something really specific for many.  Some of us have a temper, that is not secret to God or us.  The sad reality is, that we often take out our anger on people that don't deserve that kind of treatment. The more I am in the Word, the less I feel a pull of temptation and sin, like anger and jealousy.

When her husband is gone, the woman of Songs searches all night, in every place she can in order to find him.  When he is lost, gone, absent, she doesn’t just roll over and give up, she pursues him.  He is too valuable to not treat with great love and search for fervently.  Then when he is found, she doesn’t scold or condemn for his waywardness, she simply loves him because he is found.  There is great grace in her actions.  If I look at this in a metaphorical standpoint, with the bride being me, the church, and the man being God, then the story holds a unique perspective.  Whenever I feel alone, like God isn't there, rather than giving up, I need to pursue The Lord, searching everywhere possible, not giving up because it feels he has left.  There is too much at stake, too much to love, to just let go.  Instead, I must continue my search until I find God again and then hold him tight, not in anger but in life-giving love.  If you feel like God is far away, don't get angry at him and just give up. Pursue him. He is there, we just need to look in the right places.