3 “[a]On my bed night after night I sought him
Whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.
2 ‘[b]I must arise now and [c]go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
[d]I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.
3 “The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’
4 “Scarcely had I [e]left them
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I held on to him and would not let him go
Until I had brought him to my mother’s house,
And into the room of her who conceived me.”5 “[f]I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field,
That you will not arouse or awaken my love
Until [g]she pleases.”
The first four verses seem a bit weird until you get to v. 5 and realize the woman was only dreaming. Yet in those dreams, she tossed and turned, she looked everywhere for her love and could not find him… until she had exhausted every possibility. Then she clings to him for dear life until she is back in a safe place, in her mother’s bedroom.
It isn’t clear whether the groom knows of these dreams, but either way, he sits by her side and watches over her. And when he must go, he tells her friends to watch, but don’t wake, for she needs her rest after that fitful night.
Our minds can carry us away into all sorts of doomsday scenarios, much like our dear woman here. She was certain she had lost the man she loved, even though he was right there next to here. Our wives and families need us men to be there also. In a culture that says, “we don’t need you men, just bring home a paycheck and that is enough…” And maybe they don’t even value that.
Yet that isn’t the way God made any of us, to be self-sufficient and in need of nothing. Oh boy do we have needs, every one of us. We also have gifts, all that are different, to meet each others’ needs. When we work together, it is a beautiful thing. The nightmares and worries will still come, and while it seems women may be more prone to the latter, men are not immune to the cares of this world.
God has called each of us to play our part in the drama of life, just like the couple in this book. Don’t shirk from doing your part, from playing the role He has cast for you. He has and will give you everything you need to accomplish it, even if you feel unequal to the task. Guess what? You are, and that’s okay.
Because there’s a third partner in this drama that is needed to make us all complete, God himself. Much like the bride and groom in our story fulfill each others’ needs, so does God meet the needs that neither can fill. He is our everything, and to attempt life without any of these pieces is folly. We are apt to wake up in cold sweats from fevered dreams.
He is still enough, no matter what worries consume us. He will watch over us through the night, and the day, and walk with us everywhere we go. As He fills your cup to overflowing, pour into the lives of those around you, and especially into your spouse. You need them, and they need you, so step up and live out the position God has given you.