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Day 36: Reputation vs Reality (So 1:4f)

   "Draw me away! We will run after you. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you." Song of Songs 1:4

In verse 3 the Bride delights herself with the fragrance of her Beloved. The reports concerning her beloved. But in this verse, she finally had an opportunity to be with Him in His chambers and as a result of that she says rightly do they love you. Meaning his reputation matched his character.

We hear many reports about our own Beloved too. We came to salvation through His sacrificial love: how he died an undeserved death on the cross just for us. We have heard of His goodness, faithfulness, and mercy. We've heard that He heals, saves, restores, and prospers. We've heard so much that sometimes it seems like He's too good to be true. But everything we hear or read about Him remains good information until we know and experience Him for ourselves.

Some give a contrary experience of Jesus though. A narration different from the pages of the Bible because when people face tough times, they begin to question His love and faithfulness because they do not know Him. But as Paul says in Hebrews 13:8, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

Job was the wealthiest man in the East in his time. His life was enviable. He had wealth, honor, and a large family. He was prosperous in every way. To cap it all, he was an upright man who served God. But when we look closely at the first two chapters of his book, we'll see that everything he did, he did in fear and not love for God. 

Unfortunately, 1 John 4:19 tells us that perfect love cannot cohabit with fear. To live in fear is to live at the devil's arm's reach. It seemed like God was unfair to make Job go through those troubles. I mean God bragged him into trouble. Twice. However, it was not because God wanted to watch Job suffer, He only wanted to rid Him of fear and reveal Himself to Him. Then he'll be able to live the rest of his days fortified.

So one day, satan attacked and everything came crashing. He lost all He had including his health. The only thing he had left was his wife who seemed to be more of a torture than a blessing. By all Job went through, we realize that Job thought He was serving a tyrant God. A God who does as He pleases with no consideration of any other. Job truly did not curse God but that was such a wrong perception of God. No wonder he lived in fear.

It's funny when God finally showed up at the end, He never tried to defend Himself. All He did was get Job to ponder on creation and His works until Job saw God's goodness and love is evident all around. At the end of this encounter, Job said in Job 42:5:

 “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear but now my eyes see you.”

He wasn't referring to his physical but spiritual eyes. He finally had a clear perception of God and everything changed from that moment.

When we finally encounter Jesus for ourselves, we will be able to say like the Bride: rightly do they love you. Until then, we run the risk of entertaining negative experiences as a result of our wrong perception of God.

PRAY WITH ME:

Reveal to me Lord every perception I have of you that is wrong. Grant me an encounter that will convince me that all good reports of you are right as has been told me. Amen.

REFLECT AND ACT:

- Search your heart. What negative or low perception of God do you have?

- Find scriptures from the bible that addresses them and keep meditating on those scriptures as you expect an encounter with God.

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