In our previous post, the King has invited the Shulamite
to come out of her comfort zone and join Him in the adventure of maturity and
spiritual warfare. But she can’t do it. Her fears are too strong, and in the
first real crisis of the Song, the Shulamite declines his invitation:
Until the
day breaks and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved,
and be like a
gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether. Song 2:17
Turn,
my Beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag … . In
effect, the Shulamite is saying “Go, my Friend, and do what you do. I am unable
to come, but I will delight in your power and majesty.” This is the first
crisis of faith, and the first point at which the Shulamite must face her own
failure to experience the life she longs to live. Restoration will come later,
but for now she experiences a time of defeat.
I believe a powerful story in the Gospel of Matthew
corresponds directly to this prophetic scene. In chapter 14, the disciples are
trying to cross the Sea of Galilee in a raging storm in the middle of the
night. In a stunning fulfillment of the Song of Solomon allegory, Jesus, a real
flesh-and-blood Man, comes walking on top of the stormy seas. What’s more, He
invites Peter to come and join Him. I wish I could communicate the sense of
majesty I am feeling as I write this. We have read this story so often and
interpreted it (appropriately) in a spiritual sense, but it really happened!
Jesus was really out there, dancing on the waves. It was impossible, but it
happened! And then Peter really said, in time and space, during the fourth
watch of the night (between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m.), “Call me out there with You,
if it’s really You!”
Jesus loves Peter’s request, and answers him without
hesitation: Come! Imagine the scream in Peter’s heart. “OH NO! He’s
calling my bluff!” We can hardly imagine the moment. But he went for it. He
dared, if only for a moment, to dance upon his fears, and the Bridegroom’s
heart was thrilled. Even though Peter lost his focus, even though he began to
sink, the Lord was there, and that’s the whole point! When the King
invites us to come, we can presume upon His power to save. The subsequent
statement about “little faith” is not so much a rebuke as it is the
affectionate and playful response of a fatherly Bridegroom Whose heart is
absolutely exhilarated at the willingness of His child-friend to dare to trust
Him. Far from being critical of Peter, I believe Jesus is saying “O Peter!
If you only knew what is possible! Trust me, and I will take you through places
and events you never even dreamed of, for with me all things are possible!”
O,
Sovereign King! O, Majestic Lord of all things! I long to dare to run with You!
I long for the courage of the leap of faith, the joy of the victorious dance
upon the stormy waves, upon the mountains and hills of my fears. Call me again,
Lord! Don’t give up on me! Sooner or later, I will trust You.
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