Responding to Grace

On the subject of opening the door to Jesus who knocks, there is an insightful interaction in the Song of Solomon.  At one time the Shulamite was deeply smitten by the affection and love of her spouse, but when he came knocking at the door it was evident her feelings toward him had cooled.  He lovingly called out to her as he knocked, his hair wet by dew, yet she was reluctant to climb out of bed to let him in.

In response to her husband standing at the door, Song of Songs 5:3 shows the Shulamite's made herself of focus and attention:  "I have taken off my robe; how can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; how can I defile them?"  Her husband knocked at an inconvenient and unexpected time since she had already climbed into bed.  Getting up meant unwanted labour of dressing and likely needing to wash her feet again after walking on the ground.  She did not spare a thought of how cold and wet her spouse was as she considered whether to rise from bed or not.

But she did love her husband, and she wanted to see him.  She warmed to the idea of opening the door to her husband, and apparently took time preparing herself to be presentable.  Verse 5 describes her fingers dripping with liquid myrrh as she went to open the door, a valued fragrance used in beauty treatments.  To her surprise, when she opened the door her husband was nowhere to be found.  It seems clear that had she opened the door immediately at his voice, bounding out of bed as he had previously as he leapt across hills to be with her, she would have been swept up in his embrace--without a robe, dirty feet and all.

I wonder if Christians can be with Jesus like the Shulamite was with her husband she loved.  Rather than responding to His voice immediately, our thoughts make ourselves the focus when we ought to consider Christ who loves us.  We do the equivalent of trying to make ourselves presentable when He knows what a mess we are behind closed doors, like the lukewarm church of Laodicea, spiritually we are wretched, poor, blind and naked!  Because of the love Jesus has demonstrated for us, it is no inconvenience to rise at his voice.  Since it is Jesus who empowers us to do His will and can raise the dead to new life, He can strengthen us to rise--even if we are comfy in bed.

How blessed we are to be called to fellowship by our gracious Saviour who loves us!  The love Jesus for us is not based on our worthiness or readiness but shown by His willing, complete sacrifice for us.  Let us be those who respond to God's grace not because it is convenient but because He is worthy.