Text by Wilbert Lirag
Read:
Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (NASB)
Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flames are flames of fire,
The flame of the Lord.
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers flood over it;
If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.
Reflect:
As I read through these verses, I suddenly remembered the song You Won’t Relent by Misty Edwards. There is a part of that song that keeps playing in my head which led me to read the bible.
Can you relate to that experience?
One time you are reading the bible and then you remember a song. And then you find yourself singing that song. Or in some cases, you are singing a song then it leads you to read the scriptures?
Either way, it shows the power of the scriptures. The Word of God is alive and continues to make something inside of us come alive.
In chapter 8 of Song of Solomon, the verses mentioned earlier were the portion uttered by The Bride.
She is asking The Groom to constantly think of her and treasure her. How? By using a precious symbol that he puts on his body.
During the Old Testament time, the seal can refer to a signet ring carried either by a string on the breast (Genesis 38:18) or worn on the finger (Haggai 2:23) or engraved tablets worn upon the breast.
Nowadays, married couples wear a precious symbol to remind them of their commitment and their love for each other. It’s their wedding band.
But what if love wanes down and it’s not the same as before?
What if because of hatred, bitterness, anger, and hurt, love for one another slowly becomes cold.
Imagine driving your car and finding out that you are running out of gas. Then, you search in google maps for the nearest gas station. Google maps will suggest directions that you can take to arrive at your destination – the gas station.
Let’s all take note of this. When we need fuel to love our loved ones, the bible can point us in the right direction and to the right Source.
When love wanes down, what we all need to do is to fuel the flames of fire of love.
Love’s flames are the flames of fire that come from The flame of the Lord.
We go back to the Source and allow him to fuel us with His love. We spend time with the Father to deal with our hearts, renew our minds, and strengthen our inner man. We make room for Him to address what needs correction in us.
The flame of the Lord can drive us to forgive, receive our healing, and give love again.
It is the unquenchable fire of love that no amount of water can stop.
In the context of husband and wife, to be able to love each other again and again and again.
Respond:
If you notice that your love for your partner is growing cold, what did you learn after reading this devotion?
How can you apply what you learned to your life and context today?
Wilbert Lirag stays in Chiang Mai, Thailand together with his wife Rachel and their daughter Lanna. Right now, he works as a funnel builder and an email copywriter while helping an NGO in Chiang Mai with their online marketing. His love for the Word of God started when he received his first bible when he was freshman student in UPLB. As a lifelong learner, what excites him daily is to see God's words renew and transform his mind and other people.
AUTHOR: WILBERT LIRAG