Scripture
14 My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. 15 Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Song of Solomon 2:14-15
Observation
This beautiful poetry paints a passionate pathway to a healthy marriage. Too many underestimate the power of these scriptural instructions because they are hidden in flowery prose. Speaking of things hidden, that is the theme of this stanza. King Solomon uses the imagery of the dove in the clefts of the rock to describe how a husband must be intentional about providing a safe place for his wife to spread her wings. She is hiding in what she knows before becoming a wife, but as she comes to know him she slowly comes under his covering. The husband’s invitation conquers her intimidation and she no longer has to hide from him or her God-given future. This process happens slowly but there’s something else hidden here that must be dealt with swiftly and severely. It’s the little foxes that must be caught if there is to be lasting fruitfulness in this marriage. Historically, the little foxes would come in at night and chew away at the root system. If guards weren’t placed to protect the roots those blossoms would be the last anyone would see as the vine slowly died.
Application
How many of us have seen a marriage start out strong and fruitful only to end in barrenness and divorce? You can see the opposing narratives at play. God brings man and woman together in marriage with a grand vision and a future of fruitfulness. As they hide their relationship in Christ He reveals to them new facets of themselves. While the couple is looking outward and onward the demons are focusing downward. The enemy starts on the wedding day slowly, quietly, under cover of darkness eating away at the root system they have spent so long cultivating. A marriage, a ministry, a movement can’t have lasting fruit if there is no root. In “The Screwtape Letters” C.S. Lewis gives us insight into the schemes of the devil and his demons by letting the reader listen in on their conversations regarding how best to deceive God’s creation. “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,…It’s funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” The enemy would love nothing more than to have us focus on the fruit and forget the root altogether as he slowly eats away at it. Speaking of milestones, our 23rd Wedding Anniversary is this Sunday. We try to be intentional to revisit our root system during our Anniversary to make sure we are aligning with God’s calling over our lives individually, as a couple and as a family unit. In fact, it was the last anniversary conversation that really freed Cyndi to be where she’s at today. I felt like the Lord was telling me to ask her, “What do you want to do?” It was a “root question”. From the beginning, I knew my job was to see God’s calling on her life fulfilled. Marriage wasn’t about me using her gifts to achieve my dreams but the other way around. I worked to create a safe place for her to dream out loud and as she did she talked about her desire to do "business as mission" through real estate. I stood guard at that root as she began the process of getting her real estate license and is now working for her brother's real estate company. As I see her blooming I know I’m doing my job. This weekend our “root question” will revolve around how to stay united even as we adjust to two separate but connected careers. We are placing guards at the root system of our marriage to maintain clarity of purpose and intimacy of heart. We know the little foxes of busyness, stress, resentment, offense, jealousy, weariness, lust, distraction, etc are just waiting for us to let our guard down. Instead, we choose to stand together in Christ and hide ourselves in Him as He continues to make plain the hidden plan of the enemy.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord for my bride. Every morning I wake up next to her is a gift from You. Thank you for the reminder this morning that I must guard our root to secure her fruit. Thank You for entrusting Cyndi to my care. Help me to continue to cultivate the ground around our marriage. Help to not get so caught up in what I’m doing that I miss what You’re doing in her. Thank You for 23 years of daily reminders that I have been given so much more then I deserve. I have been called to serve You by seeing Your purposes fulfilled in Cyndi’s life and standing guard over what matters most.
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