Skip to main content

Day 113: Qualified to be Called (SoS 2:14c)

“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely.” (Song of Songs 2:14)

The Beloved requesting to see the Bride's face and hear her voice is an indication that she withdrew from him after he made his request.

Let's take examples from the scriptures.

When Israel asked for a king, God ordered the steps of Saul to Samuel. He had told Samuel earlier that Israel's king was coming. After some events, Saul was anointed king over Israel, but it wasn't announced to the people yet. 

When the time came for him to appear before all of Israel, no one could find him until the Lord revealed he was hiding in the baggage. Why was he hiding? He told Samuel earlier in 1 Samuel 9:22:

 And Saul answered and said, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?” 

Gideon in Judges 6 said when the angel of the Lord appeared and told him he would deliver Israel he said in verse 15:

 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 

We see many more in the Bible who were called against all odds. 

Abraham, a man with no child was called to be the father of many nations 

Moses a stammerer was God's spokesman.

David, an ordinary shepherd boy was anointed king.

Mary was a virgin, yet she bore the Savior.

Paul a murderer became one of the greatest apostles of the church.

The Lord will never call us to do what we are capable of doing with our human strength, skill, and wisdom. Paul concerning the Lord's calling in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (New International Version) said:

 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 

In the previous lesson, we compared Moses in the cleft of the rock in Exodus 33 and Elijah in a cave on the mountain of the Lord in 1 Kings 19. God put Moses there to be safe while he beheld his glory. Elijah on the other hand was there because he was afraid of Jezebel.

Fear should not keep us hiding when He calls. Fear is an indication that we are looking at ourselves. Looking to our skills, abilities, and capabilities. Fear is proof that His love is not perfected in us. Fear is a proof of unbelief. Fear however will fall away when we receive a revelation of Him as the Triumphant King who skipped effortlessly over every mountain and hill to come to us.

David faced many troubles in the Bible that should have made him cower. He killed a lion and a bear as a boy watching his father's flock. As a boy who had never fought a battle, he stood before Goliath who was not just a giant but a champion of war and defeated him. When we read through 1 & 2 Samuel and the Psalms, we'll see that David's confidence was never in himself but in the Lord.

What is that huge thing the Lord is calling you to do? Don't look at yourself. Don't shy away from Him. Turn your eyes towards Him and cast every care, fear, and burden upon Him. When fear rises in your heart, follow Paul's words in Colossians 1:12 and give thanks to the Father who qualified you.

Bill Johnson once said in a sermon:

 When you are willing to do that which you are not qualified for, God qualifies you for it.

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear Lord, I lay my cares and fears before You today. I submit to your plans and purposes for me knowing they are good not evil and the best of the best. Help me trust you through the challenges I face each day. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • Meditate today on 2 Timothy 1:7:

 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

  • And Jeremiah 29:11:

 For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

Comments

Post a Comment

What do you think about today's lesson? Please share something you learnt.

Popular posts from this blog

Day 53: The Unforced Rhythms of Grace (SoS 1:7a)

“ Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself by the flocks of your companions? Song of Songs 1:7 Aft er the Bride's experience of being overworked, she didn't seek her Beloved in His chambers, nor did she seek Him in a place of leisure. Rather, she sought Him at His workplace. When we find ourselves in a spiritual crisis, especially when we're overworked or burnt out by activities, we must realize that oftentimes, the problem is not how much or what we're doing but how we are doing it. There is only so much the human flesh and mind can handle when it comes to physical work talk less spiritual. Paul did express in 1 Corinthians 15:58 in the Amplified version that we are to labor in our work for the Lord to the point of exhaustion . I believe it's why Paul in praying for the Ephesian church prayed for them to be strengthened with might by God's Spirit in their inner man . Thin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 152: To the Mountain of Myrrh (SoS 4:6)

Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. (Song of Songs 4:6) In the previous lesson, we began to examine the Bride's response to the Beloved's seven-fold compliment. We discussed how she finally gave a positive reply to a request he had previously tendered in SoS 2:17. We examined a part of her response, and now let's explore the next part: ...I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. We have mentioned a couple of times in this series that myrrh is a burial spice. Its mention in the Bible often signifies death and sacrifice. It was one of the spices presented to Jesus at His birth and was also used to prepare Him for burial. In the same way that Jesus embraced death on the cross, the Bride goes to the mountain of myrrh embracing death to self. She knows resolute obedience will cost her that. Jesus said in Luke 14:27: ...whoever does not bear his cr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 50: Keeping Your Vineyard (SoS 1:6d)

“Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept. ”    Song of Songs 1:6 In John chapter 15 Jesus gives us the blueprint of a fruitful vineyard. He said He is the True Vine, God is the Vinedresser and we are the branches. Then He proceeds to state the responsibility of each party in keeping the vineyard. Let's look at them. 1. Responsibility of Jesus as the True Vine: Just like a branch cannot exist talk less bear fruit without the vine, we exist in God because of Jesus. He is the source and sustainer of eternal life which we received at salvation and it is this empowers us to bear fruit. 2. The Responsibilities of God as the Vinedresser: The Father is the One working on us to bring forth good works (fruits) for his glory. Jesus lists the responsibilities of God as the Vinedresser in verse 2. First to the branches that don't have fruit and t...
Post a Comment
Read more