I Am Here / Where Are You? … by Ashley Acosta

Today’s Passage – Song of Solomon 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 28)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10

Read the “0728 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” (Song of Songs 2:8-14)

When Issan and I were dating, I wanted to be in his presence all the time. Not only in the same room as him, but I wanted to interact and engage him. I truly enjoyed his company, and wanted to talk to him, do new things with him, and most importantly be present with him. Everything we did was so fun just because we were together. I remember when we took a day trip to Valley Forge with my brother. I was thrilled to walk around a field and take pictures. It was like I was in a new world for the first time, taking time for the small things in life. It’s one of those moments I look back on and remember falling more in love with him that day. I was truly present with him, and he was present with me.

Solomon and his wife describe a world of beauty and adventure that awaits them. With excitement and joy, she awaits for her husband. Even Solomon is looking through the window, intentionally, at his wife. He invites her to come with him so they can enjoy the beauty around them. They show us that enjoyment of life can be greatly enhanced through relationships.

This can only be possible when you are present with each other. I looked up the word “present” The definition is “in a particular place” that seemed simple enough, I thought, I’m with my husband a lot. Then the Lord quickly convicted me. “Is your mind there as well?” Am I truly present?  Am I waiting by the door, upon his arrival like the woman in this passage? Unfortunately, a lot of the time my mind is absent from him. In verse 10 he says “ rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away” He is referring to physically coming away with him, but sometimes we need to tell our spouses, rise up, my love, and come away emotionally, and mentally. Turn off whatever is distracting you from being present with me. 

“78.6% of men, and 91.6 % of women are involved in an emotional affair at some point in their life,” according to fatherly.com. We focus a lot on physical affairs, but do not realize that emotional affairs are even more relevant in our Christian circles; especially with Christian women. We are busy people, and most of our attention is on our ministries. If we aren’t present with our spouses, the truth of the matter is, someone else will be.

This applies to all relationships. It can be with our children, our friends, or family members. We think that the relationships that are the closest to us are the ones we don’t need to be as present with. We tend to turn off emotionally because we have been mentally turned on with so many others all day. What is most important is that we work harder at those relationships. The relationship with Solomon and his wife was an intimate relationship that was truly intentional. Be intentional with your husband or wife. If you’re single, be intentional with the people you love.