I welcome Julia Stevens to my blog, as part of her blog tour on the release of her book Like Him. Here she speaks to us about the relationship of intimacy we can have with Jesus, and how it impacts our other relationships too.
‘Read The Passion Translation of the Song of Solomon!’ my friend exclaimed, ‘I love it!’ We were at a Christian conference and I ordered my now much-thumbed slim copy as soon as I got home. The words of the ‘Song of all Songs’ are powerful and continue to fill my hungry heart full of the passionate words of Jesus my bridegroom. He is always with me, like no other.
Words of intimacy
I have a good husband and lovely friends and family; however, my heart is deep and it has lacked kind and powerful words of affirmation at times. My heart craves the righteous loving words of God – his words hit the mark and fill my heart full, because he knows me better than anybody. Every heart needs these words of intimacy, and of affirmation also. Words such as: ‘I see your inner strength, so stately and strong’ (Song of Songs 4:4) and ‘Your inward life is now sprouting, bringing forth fruit’ (Song of Songs 4:13). When you hear those type of words doesn’t it cause you to want to rise up? To act like the words uttered, even though you may not feel the inner strength, because: ‘faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen’ (Hebrews 11:1, RSV).
Exercising faith
Faith is the opposite of fear and love. Faith is of utmost importance in the relationship between you and Jesus and truly taking on board his words of love to your heart. You can receive them through believing the words, meditating and slowly chewing on them, taking time to digest them. I know that my own heart is built up by his loving words and so I respond by asking him to: ‘Come walk with me as you walked with Adam in your paradise garden’ (Song 4:16). The bride of Christ can’t help but sing to the Lord her bridegroom, and Jesus loves to hear wonderful words from your lips.
Our ultimate partner
Jesus is presented to us in the Song of Songs as our bridegroom king, speaking sweet and strong words of affirmation to his bride. If we speak and listen to our ‘husband of all husbands’ more and learn to rely on him, perhaps our partners would benefit from a more whole and loving wife or husband.
Those who are not in relationship with a spouse or partner can fully rely on God. This is possible even in deep terms; hence the Song of Solomon love poem is part of the whole of scripture. Jesus is your main stay and solid rock and can be your spiritual ‘lover’ and friend, whatever your earthly relationships status.
Generally, we tend to look to partners to provide for us physically and emotionally as well as spiritually. When I was a teenager, I had a broken heart and in the middle of the night, I cried out to God (though quietly into my pillow): ‘You are not able to hug me Lord!’ The next moment my mum, like a messenger of God himself, came into my room and gave me such a warm embrace of love. She had not ever done this before, and hasn’t done it since. But, through that experience, I now know that the Lord can embrace you and me directly through each other. We are often the answers to another’s prayer concerning the love of God.
Impacting all our relationships
Our earthly partners, friends and family are not perfect, though. Do we rely on and expect too much of our earthly partners, parents and peers at times? We can forget that, spiritually speaking, God our Father has provided us with a ‘husband of all husbands’ to go to, not only to make up any lack but primarily for us to have a relationship of intimacy with our saviour and maker.
Our ‘husband of all husbands’ can provide everything we need, and he loves also to see the outworking of his love through his own creation: ie in us as human wives and husbands, friends, parents etc. The more we can rely on Jesus as our husband, the more whole our relationships on earth will be.
Julia Stevens has a degree in creative writing, runs a small business with her husband, has two grown children and is part of her local church family. Her book Like Him is full of inspiration, prayers, poems, encouragement and spiritual experiences to help you seek his kingdom first. Find out more about it, and buy it, here.