Today I just have a moment, but wanted to write a quick word. I have found myself thinking so many times about our Song of Solomon Bible Study that has been over for a month, and one of the things that has stood out to me is finally understanding just a smidge of SOS 8:6--

"Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame."

Here's the smidge that is echoing in my mind, and giving such focus and peace every time I lack it (which is often!...

In the first line, our heart represents our affections, both affections we are craving and affections we are offering. Our heart represents what matters to us deep down, who we are in the secret. Everything in our life overflows out of this heart, and this is the heart God is speaking of when He says, "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart..." But I veer off. I forget. I don't choose to get filled by Him sometimes, and my life begins to wither, like a branch severed from the vine. It shows up in my energy, my attitude, everything, because it is a literal connection--my Life is in Christ, and while He is always here with me, I can easily ignore that and therefore not receive those sweet benefits of connection with Him daily.

Also, in that first line, there's this: "Place me like a seal over your heart." A seal means the authority, the ownership, the protection. He is a seal, a piece of armor and hope, set upon my heart! He wants to protect my heart, keeping it from giving its focus and affections and desires to things other than Himself (like concerns about what I can or can't do, or just busyness!) This is my prayer: "Lord, place Yourself today as a seal over my heart! Keep my heart beating, fully ALIVE because of my connection with You."

So then in the second line, our arm represents our work, our strength, how we use our times, talents, resources, and energy. Our arm is perhaps what others see us do, our work among men. The heart and then the arm is like the first commandment, with the second coming after yet being equal! We love Him...and therefore we also love our neighbor. So our arm is important, too, and just as we need "His seal" upon our heart, oh how we need His seal upon our arm!!!

His love and jealousy for us is so strong that it can be compared to death. What this says to me is that it's pretty strong, pretty final; it's something none of us can change or do anything about when it happens...It's out of our hands. He wants us that much, and like any jealous lover, He's happy to put His seal on us if we'll let Him! His love burns like a mighty flame that never goes out.

It is easy to find myself being a flickering flame for Him, just from being tired or busy or whatever...but when I remember that I don't have to do anything but come warm myself by that fire, and just be loved, WOW! That stirs something in me. If I am "found burning", it will be because He was relentless in His fiery love for me first.