WITH THE GLANCE OF YOUR EYES

By Francis Frangipane

"Who is this that grows like the dawn, as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the sun, as awesome as an army with banners?" Song of Solomon 6:10

In the swirl of prophetic events, of fearsome realities and unrestrained freedoms, the Lord seeks a people whose eyes and hearts desire only Him. Yet, as Christians, we are more comfortable celebrating what Jesus has done for us than accepting who He desires to be to us. We will dance before Him, sing of His victories, and teach of His mercies. Yet, rarely do we quiet our hearts and surrender to His Presence; we want Him without becoming vulnerable to Him. For us, it is enough to serve Him through the types and shadows of religion.

But it is not enough for Him. Consider His warning,

Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you." Matthew 7:22 23

As awesome and liberating as it is to know what Jesus has done for us, until we actually give ourselves to Him our religion will never be more than a "history lesson" and a commitment to be good. I will say it again: knowing what He did is not enough. Jesus wants to also know us.

You say, "But He does know us!" In His omniscience, He knows everything about us. Yes, but in His love, He seeks to know us as a bride whose passion is to exist in a living union with Him. He has purchased the rights to our souls, our secrets and our dreams. He wants the person we are when no one else is looking. Yet, He will not force Himself. This is not the way of love.

This interpenetration of our lives in Him and His life in us is the only destiny with which the Father is content. At the end of the age, everything short of oneness with Christ will appear as sin.

God is Love

I know the fear of the Lord. It is the beginning of true knowledge. But I have also "come to know and have believed the love which God has for us" (1 John 4:16). God is love. The apostle who fell before Jesus as a dead man on the Isle of Patmos now tells us with assured revelation:

"There is no fear in love" (1 John 4:18).

The Lord knows our fear of Him is a strong deterrent from sin and a wonderful ally in walking uprightly. Yet, to draw near to Him we must know more than the fear of God; we must know His love.

God's love is perfect, so much so that it
"casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love" (v. 18).

When it comes to entering the Presence of God, it is to be expected that fear, guilt or shame should seek to hold us hostage. But as we believe in the love God has for us, in the brightness of His mercy, the shadows of our failures and shame cannot exist.

The Heart of God

"My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing behind our wall, he is looking through the windows, he is peering through the lattice" (Song of Sol 2:9).

Right now the Spirit of the Lord, His living Presence, is actually standing behind our walls of fear, indifference and shame. As you are reading this, the Lord is peering through the lattice of our worldly entanglements and over-extended commitments. If you knew He was behind the door, just in the next room, would you enter? What would keep you from drawing near to Him?

Perhaps fear or shame or the memory of unrepentant sin keeps us isolated. If we are honest, we know of the things that keep us from Him, and they are things we can remove. We know the excuses of our hearts, but we do not know His heart.

The moment we accept the thought, even the intention of drawing near to Him, of seeking Him for no reason other than Himself, something within His heart responds to our desire. He says,

"You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; you have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes" (Song of Sol. 4:9).

Your glance, even if it was no more than the briefest anticipation of being with Him, made His heart beat faster. The King James Version reads, "Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes."

Jesus is not returning simply to destroy wickedness; He is coming for a bride. At the end of the age our task is not simply to prepare for the rapture or the tribulation, but for Christ! You see, there is nothing more important to Jesus Christ than His bride, the church. He died for her. He lives to make intercession for her. His love proved itself capable and worthy of winning our full redemption. Our most noble task is to surrender to the love that, even now, is reaching to us.

It is such an amazing thought, that we were created for His pleasure (Rev 4:11 KJ).

This moment is His gift to you;

Your loving response is your gift to Him.

Indeed, the glance of your eyes, has made His heart beat faster.

Lord Jesus, forgive me for being so dissipated by issues, trials and distractions.
Lord, You have promised that if I draw near to You, You would draw near to me.
Lord, I come to You because You have bid me to come, and I love You with the very love with which You first loved me.
Keep me near to Your heart, holy Lord. Keep me near to Your heart.

Copyright (c) 2003 Frangipane Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved.
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http://www.frangipane.org

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