Do Not Awaken My Love

The Bridegroom of The Song of Songs protectively and tenderly holds his sleeping beloved. His left arm holds her head and his right arm embraces her. He whispers to her friends, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the hinds of the field, that you stir not up nor awaken love until it please.” Whether asleep or awake, she is always in his tender gaze and held safely in the everlasting arms. The divine Bridegroom neither sleeps nor slumbers but watches over his beloved at all times. 

This Bridegroom of The Song of Songs is Jesus. And you are His beloved, His bride. Whether your love for Him has yet to be awakened or is already a love in bloom, He calls you “Mine.” 

On this life’s journey of preparing for the eternal wedding feast when we will see and be one with our Bridegroom forever, we pass through seasons of spiritual sleepiness. The busyness of our daily vocations, the unexpected tragedies, the pull of the world, distract us from our seeking only the One Whom our souls love. And, yet, we know that we only love because He first loved us. The One Whom our souls are seeking is seeking us. He beckons. He invites. He woos. He sings. He holds out His hand and does not pull it back no matter how long we hesitate before taking a hold of Him. He will wait. He has all the time in the world. And He has no other desire than to love His beloved ones for all time.

If you desire to take a hold of the gentle hand of Jesus and surrender to Love leading you wherever He wills but find yourself hesitant, tell Him.

He knows your heart, your story, your fears, and your dreams. Patiently and tenderly, He will draw you closer and kiss away your fears, your resistance and hesitancy. You may not even notice what He has done until the moment you realize He is not just holding your hand but you are dancing in His arms.

“Come then, my love, my lovely one, come, for see winter is past!”

Copyright 2024 Laura Ercolino