Come With Me

My beloved spoke and said to me,

“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

Song of Solomon 2:10-13

It was one of those mornings that the words I read from scripture were spoken to me personally. It was not about understanding the correct context, history or poetic symbolism. It was an overwhelming invitation that I believe my Lord, the lover above all others, gently whispered to me.

“Come with me.” (He whispers it to you also.)

It came to me different than the invitation found in Matthew 11:28:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

This invite comes as if He is standing in front of me with both arms extended inviting me to run into His arms and He will take care of it all. Now don’t get me wrong, that is an awesome invitation, but this one was different.

I received the words as if He were standing slightly in front of me with His hand reached back to me, inviting me to join Him. We were going somewhere together. He would lead me, take me there, and go with me.

“Where are we going?” was not a question in my mind. With my hand in His,

it did not matter. There was nothing else I needed to know, but to arise and take His hand.

Then came the next line of words: “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.” This season is over, arise and come with me into a new season. Step out of the darkness, doubt, heaviness and confusion and enter into this season filled with new life, singing, fruitfulness and fragrance. It is a promise of what is to come.

In total delight, I arose from my seat and took Him by the hand. Once again I responded, “Lord, where you lead me, I will follow”. I can hardly wait to see what the next season holds. With my hand in His, there is no fear, only confidence. He has always proven to be faithful and I need not fear any of the unknown.

I wonder if any of you are longing to hear His call into a new season. It is easy to find yourself lost in a long winter season of life, feeling that He has forgotten you and that things will never change. But a new season, a new thing is right in front of you. You never know what God is working out for you. You never know when the seventh march around the wall is about to break that thing down to the ground.

“Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing.

Now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?

I will even put a road in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:19

We have no control over how long a particular season may last. We can push and press hoping to force the season we are in, but God is in control. We can also be guilty of refusing to believe there is a new day coming and we will live stuck in the winter long past the intended time.

So, we arise. We take His hand. We move forward with Him into His plan. We don’t remain seated, but we arise, ready to follow wherever…whenever.

“Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”