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Day 90: Complacent Satisfaction (SoS 2:5)

  Sustain me with cakes of raisins, Refresh me with apples, For I am lovesick. 

 Song of Songs 2:5 

To understand this verse, we'll have to start with the last phrase: for I am lovesick. There are two lessons from this. We'll look at one in today's lesson and another in tomorrow's.

Have you ever been at a party or in the company of friends where you were having so much fun you wished the moment will never end, yet, you're exhausted? It's the perfect place you want to be, yet you're drained from all the energy it was demanding. (Introverts will understand this better.)

The Bride in verse 4 was exhilarated. She was with her beloved in the banqueting house celebrating their love. She expressed how His love had conquered her. She was beside herself with joy. In SoS 1:2 she said his love was better than wine and she's experiencing just that. 

So this was a moment of overwhelming satisfaction. It's like when fans faint in the presence of their favorite celebrities because of the rush of emotions. She experienced love beyond her wildest imagination and it made her faint. Lovesick.

God is vast and so is His love. We'll never know its limits. His love is more than we can contain. Ephesians 3:19 in The Passion Translation says this love is:

 Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding... 

When we encounter God's overwhelming love, we risk fainting, just as when we are overwhelmed by physical emotions. When there is a deep satisfaction with God's love, we face a whole new temptation. The temptation to rest from pursuit. To catch our breath and flex a little. The result however is a backflow of our affection for our Beloved Jesus.

Pursuing and sustaining intimacy with Jesus is physically exhausting. When we see and enjoy the results of our pursuit, it's not an indication to take a break. As Christians, we should never rest from activities that maintain our hunger and fire for God. 

The more time we spend with Jesus, there will be moments where it seems like we can't handle any more of His awesomeness. When our souls are completely satisfied, it's time to be vigilant against complacency. 

David in 2 Samuel 11 was home when other kings were at war. Why not? He built a formidable empire. He had an army led by over 30 mighty men of valor fit to be generals of legions. Men skilled enough to bring the trophy home. Was it wrong for him to rest a bit and enjoy what he had labored for?

Apparently, yes. Because it was in that moment of idleness and complacency temptation found him. The man who pursued God with everything he has and was, who wrote about longing for the Lord's law and delighting in keeping his commandment committed not just adultery but also well-planned premeditated murder.

When we read that story we think this whole incident lasted a day or two but it spanned weeks at least if not months. David in a state of complacent satisfaction did the very things he loathed.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God has set eternity in the heart of man. Man's heart can never be satisfied with the things of this world. If we don't consciously fill it with the one eternal entity that can (God), many other things in the world will settle in unconsciously. 

When we think we are unable to handle more of God or do more, we must remember we are eternal beings. Though our bodies may have limits, our spirits are limitless. We were made in His likeness. So as a circle cannot fill a square, nothing else can fill us to satisfaction but God. 

God however is inexhaustible so we must continue to seek out more of Him no matter how much we have experienced. The measure of God that satisfied us yesterday, cannot satisfy us today. The clock is reset every morning. Hunger for God is fueled by constant daily pursuit. 

Like the Bride, we must recognize the danger of overwhelming love and ask to be sustained and refreshed. We must maintain an attitude of dissatisfied contentment where we're full of God, yet still pursuing. 

PRAY WITH ME:

Dearest Lord Jesus, thank you for satisfying my heart with your love. Help me never to get carried away, guard against complacent satisfaction , and never cease pursuing and yearning for more of you. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • Are you in a state of complacent satisfaction? Have you been carried away by your progress in intimacy with Jesus and what He's doing through you? Consider what He said to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:5 (The Passion Translation):

 Think about how far you have fallen! Repent and do the works of love you did at first...”

  • How can you guard against complacent satisfaction in your walk with the Lord?

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