Something happens when we sit at the King’s table watching Him wash our feet, break the bread, pour the wine. Almost irresistibly, our hearts begin to release love and worship back to God. This is the scene we watch unfold in Song of Songs 1:12. Join ryan at the table and see what happens when we let Jesus lavish His love on us.
(you’ll find typed notes below the video, just in case you don’t have time to watch, or it makes you queasy to watch me talk!)
while the king was at His table
my perfume gave forth it’s fragrance
the King’s table: the communion table where He girds Himself with the towel & washes our feet. where He pours a cup of wine and breaks a piece of bread, where He pours out His blood for our sins, where His body is broken and given for our healing
while the King was at this table, doing these things, something happens
my perfume gave: almost as if it had a will of it’s own. as if it was drawn out irresitably, her perfume GIVES forth it’s fragrance. this reminds us of mary and her alabster vial: how she came to Jesus WHILE He was sitting at the table, she broke it, anointed Him and the fragrance of the perfume FILLED the entire house.
remember in VS 3 when we discussed Jesus’ oils being His essence. we talked about how Jesus is like purified oil -oil poured out for us. He gives Himself to us and the fragrance, the essence, the experience of Who He is fills us with true pleasure.
now that she has experienced HIS essence at the table, she begins to pour out HER essence. After watching Him pour Himself out for her, she begins to pour herself out for Him. That’s how it works. He always initiates. We can’t do anything unless God does it first.
Her perfume, the essence of who she is, begins to GIVE it’s fragrance. She’s letting Him in, letting Him know her. She’s letting down her guard, starting to be herself in His presence, starting to give Him the one gift that ONLY she can give: her heart
i want you to get this sequence here: FIRST He gives His heart, THEN she gives hers.
Beloved, FIRST Jesus gives His heart to you. Then and only then can you begin to give your heart to Him. Yes: He has already given His heart, but have you allowed yourself to receive it? Only in the measure that you RECEIVE His heart can you give back your own. Let Jesus give you His heart. Let Him pour Himself out for you. Let Him lavish you with love, telling you how much He loves you over and over and over and over again. and then see what happens. You’ll find that giving your heart to Him becomes effortless. Your heart will start to GIVE ITSELF!!!
Your not convinced yet? Well, there’s only one way to find out. Sit down at His table for a while. Practically: in prayer, sit and think on these things. look up these bible passages. read them, pray them and sing them over yourself. Let the King wash your feet, pour His wine, break His bread and just see what happens.
just a brief thought tonight:
when we get hurt, God doesn’t get mad at us.
perhaps that notion strikes you as odd, “why would He be mad at us for being hurt?”
it struck me as odd when i first discovered it in my own heart. we brought our first child home from the hospital. beauty incarnate. heavenly bundle. my heart was absolute mush for my daughter. then came the cries in the dead of night. i was ripped out of my sweet slumber by the sound of newborn wailing. more disturbing than that was the emotion that filled my heart: anger. how could i be angry at this sweet little innocent child? she’s done no wrong, she means no ill, she’s simply in need! why would that anger anyone? it’s illogical, and nonetheless, undeniable: my child was crying and i was angry.
unfortunately, that wasn’t the last time i’ve had that reaction. sometimes when my kids cry, get hurt, need something, i get mad rather than compassionate. they’re inconveniencing me. they’re overreacting. they’re interrupting my plans with their pain.
i am thankful that God does not react that way to me.
He and i had a good talk about that today. He spoke to my heart, assuring me that He’s not mad at me for getting hurt. He’s not disappointed in me, that i wasn’t stronger, more immune to pain. He just doesn’t respond to His children’s cries that way. He responds with compassion. When we cry He listens and moves in compassion.
i want to be a daddy like that. One who is never angered by his children’s need.
You have a Daddy like that. He’s not mad at you for being hurt. He’s not disappointed in you for feeling pain. It’s safe to let Him know what hurts. When you cry in the night He is happy to help you.
if you’d like to see a little year-in-review as well as some things going on presently with the Internicolas, check out our new-year letter HERE!
Yes, my friends: a famous fairy tale and folksinger are my influences today for this little ditty i jotted down. Admiration will be awarded to those who correctly guess the singer or the story.
have a listen. i know, some of it is a little strange, and i’m not totally sure where this all comes from. it often starts with a one-liner and then the lyric leads me to words than compliment sound while still telling the story. my working title on this one is:
© 2010 ryan internicola
replace me Lord
i’ve lost my place
misplaced my book-mark
remark my heart with your book
remarkable book
reface me Lord
i’ve lost Your face
faced off into di-rections wrong
say, face me in the right way
don’t send me off, lead me on
home, less of a place
more of a man handin’, takin’ me in,
children pan-handlin’ for grace
a-home: a-word a-bound to my soul
a train a-keep a-row-row-rollin’ on
away, into the night, a keep-a two stars to the right
fly straight on through till dawn
and then we’ll be home
discover me
i’m covered up
buried in dust from my cover up
my cover torn off and my spine
unbindin’
come bind me up
bind me for home
let me be found tied and then bound
before the Word leaves Your lips
we’re homeward bound
home, less of a place
more of a man handin’, takin’ me in,
children pan-handlin’ for grace
a-home: a-word a-bound to my soul
a train a-keep a-row-row-rollin’ on
away, into the night, a keep-a two stars to the right
fly straight on through till dawn
and then we’ll be home
home, where we’ve never been we’re
sure we began there
where our own hearts call inviting us home
home, less of a place
more of a man handin’, takin’ me in,
children pan-handlin’ for grace
a-home: a-word a-bound to my soul
a train a-keep a-row-row-rollin’ on
away, into the night, a keep-a two stars to the right
fly straight on through till dawn
and then we’ll be home
Just say, “thank you!”
Because it is a high compliment! It’s the compliment that Jesus’ gives to His bride in Song of Songs 1:9.
I’ve decided to forgo the video today for two reasons:
1) i made several attempts to record and continually messed it up
2) one of my friends was whining about how i’ve been doing too many videos and he misses my writing (you know who you are!) so, there you have it!
We’ve been following the beginning of the bride’s journey in the Song of Songs. She has had a realization that her heart is dark, but she is lovely to God. She sees that she’s been striving under the sun: working FOR God, but not WITH God (big difference!) She realizes that she has neglected the vineyard of her heart: her own relationship with Jesus. She has begun to ask where she can be fed, where she can find rest.
Jesus answered her and called her “most beautiful” even in her dark, burned, neglected state. He urged her to keep on the path of faithful ones who have gone before her. He encourages her to continue investing in younger ones around her, and to stay in relationship with people who have a heart to shepherd God’s people.
And then, in chapter 1, verse 9, He drops a most endearing compliment:
“To me, my darling, you are like
My mare among the chariots of Pharaoh”
He compares her to… a horse!
but not just any horse: the chariots of Pharaoh would have been drawn by powerful war-horses, bred for strength and speed and endurance. These stallions were kept for work.
Sometimes we get to feeling like work horses. Like God only wants us around if we can DO something for Him. We want to be “used of the Lord”, good “servants”, building up the work of the kingdom. These are good sentiments, but they are not the entire purpose of our existence. We were created for companionship, and work is one way companionship can be fostered (check out Genesis 1 & 2 again.)
Jesus makes a point to tell His beloved that she exists for more than work.
See, a mare is a female horse and would not have been used to draw the chariots. She would have been kept among all the work horses simply for the purpose of beauty. She would likely have been highly adorned and been a wonder to look at. He is communicating that she was born for beauty. And so were you and i.
So, let your heart rest in this tonight: you were created for beauty. the works we do are simply one way to display that beauty. Apart from what you do, God finds you lovely. So, let Him say so.
tonight, i am going to make an addendum to yesterday’s post.
we’ll take a break from the visual frenzy of the Song of Songs VLOG series, and simply kick back and listen.
Hear Jesus’ voice singing over you in this song inspired by the song of all songs: