Night Time Comfort

“Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.” (So 4:6 AV)

 

The Song of Solomon, it is said, is a picture of the Church and Christ.  Many have noted the Shunamite woman espoused to the king is a type of the church.  The king is a type of Christ.  The book is written in the form of a movie or play script.  In this style, the parts are merely read.  There is no acting.  There is no scenery.  The narration progresses back and forth between the king, his bride, the daughters of Jerusalem, the king's fellows, and a chorus.  This book celebrates the courtship, wedding, and marriage of the king and his bride.  This book records their feelings for one another and their continued adoration through the challenges of early marriage.  This book is a great lesson in the courtship of Jesus Christ towards the lost, our adoration of Him, and the challenges to keeping that love alive.  In the above verse, the bride is reflecting the blessings of a marriage bed for the duration of the night.  Not limited solely to the marriage act, rather, she is reflecting how safe and contented she feels while with her groom as the dark and gloomy night does not affect their love.

My wife approaches bedtime much differently than I do.  I climb into bed for one thing and one thing only – SLEEP!  There is no greater satisfaction than lying my weary head on my soft pillow and yielding to the desperate need for sleep.  To become completely surrendered to exhaustion is a wonderful feeling.  To relax and allow the body to shut down is wonderful.  Sleep does not come easy to me, so when the darkness closes in on me, it is like a secure friend coming to take me away.  However, not my wife.  I imagine she is probably typical of how wives approach sleep time.  There is taking time.  There is cuddling time.  There is just being together and watching the news or reminiscing of years or events past.  There is prayer time.  There are all sorts of emotional experiences she has planned while my eyelids turn to lead.  I also know that my presence makes her feel far more secure.  She smells a weird smell and off with the covers to investigate it.  No, the house is not burning down.  It is the BBQ place a block over smoking their meats for the next day.  The A/C unit is not burning up.  It is rather new and the oil coating on the outside of the compressor is getting a bit warm.  It is just the neighbors getting home from a late-night out.  She is secure knowing there is someone there who will take care of her when things are a bit out of the ordinary.

We have a Bridegroom that loves us more than we will ever know.  We have those times of life when things are not all that comforting.  Anxiety over a job or finances pesters our minds.  Thoughts on the future and how we will live once we hit those retirement years are of constant concern.  Pastoring a church and living five feet behind it causes a few unwelcomed thoughts.  With increased violence targeting houses of worship, one wonders if tonight might be the night the God-haters strike.  All these thoughts and more can come into the mind in the darkest times of the day.  But it is the sweet smell of myrrh and frankincense that announces the presence of my Savior that gives me peaceful nights of rest.  He is there!  He always is.  He knows the future and has planned one for my best interests.  Come what may, my Bridegroom is always there is His presence is something of which I cannot live without.