Today's devotional was called, "Wooed, Won and Wed" by Sharon Jaynes. She used Song of Solomon as her key passage and talked about the King who fell in love with a Shulammite woman whom he saw tending to vineyards. He wooed her by telling her everything he loved about her and how beautiful she was, but she couldn't see it! She just saw the flaws, but he never ceased telling her and finally won her and she agreed to wed him! Song of Solomon paints a beautiful picture of beauty and Sharon Jaynes gave a list of all the ways the King admired/wooed this woman:
- Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels. (1:10)
- How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves. (1:15).
- Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens. (2:2)
- Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead. (4:1)
- Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone. (4:2).
- Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. (4:3)
- Your neck is like the tower of David built with elegance (4:4)
- Your two breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies. (4:5)
- Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue (4:11)
- How beautiful your sandaled feet, (7:1)
- Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of a craftsman’s hands. (7:1)
- Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies. (7:2)
- All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you. (4:7)
He loved every part of her--the good and the "bad"! She then correlated this with Jesus and His bride! It's said that when guys look in a mirror they focus on their best features (whether that's true or not--I do not know since I'm not a guy), but when a woman looks in a mirror they focus on their worst features! I know that's true because I tend to do that exact thing. But why do we do that? We could use the excuse that we're girls so it's just what we do but if we're children of God we can know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and that to Christ we are so beautiful and really that's all that should matter. That still won't necessarily make it easy to be content with how we look, but hopefully it can give us a new perspective on it! Jesus sees our true beauty and is captivated. Jesus desires to hear our voice and see our face. Both are His delight. “My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely” (Song of Solomon 2:14).
"Lord, help me see myself as You see me, no matter how beautiful it is!"
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