Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD (Song of Solomon 8:6 ESV).
There is no more powerful force in the universe than the love of God. It knows no limits or boundaries. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). We look most like God when we love unconditionally and truly; when we love, not hate our enemies; when we burn with a passion to see lost souls saved and God's lovingkindness released on humanity.
When Moses saw a bush burning after tending his sheep one day, he was intrigued and had to examine this most unusual sight. The bush was burning, but it did not burn up. Upon examination, God began to speak to Moses from the bush. As He spoke, the bush kept burning, but the flames did not consume it. The account is in Exodus 3:1-4: Now Moses was pasturing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn aside and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place you are standing is holy ground.”
The bush was burning, but it was not consumed. So it is with the love of God. His love cannot be extinguished. It does not burn out or end. Its intensity remains steady, an eternal flame that no one can put out. We can ALWAYS count on God's love. It is as sure and strong as death, and God's jealousy over us is as striking as lightning. What a jolt one expression of God's love can produce in a lonely, needy soul! It ignites a fire of warmth and comfort deep within the heart, and remarkable changes occur.
Mockers of God, like Paul, become apostles and evangelists; those of questionable moral character become worshipers; addicts are released from the traps that ensnared them; the hearts of lonely teens and children melt at the touch of Jesus when the very flame of the Lord consumes them, as He wraps them in His lovingkindness. This flame of the Lord is a force to be reckoned with. Once it envelops a person, it keeps burning and burning, like a drumbeat that goes on and on.
The very flame of the Lord is like the voice of God calling to us from the burning bush, drawing us and intriguing us to come closer to the One who made us. God's love calls to us from a place of deep understanding and kindness, for He knows each of us intimately and thoroughly. His lovingkindness is irresistible. God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
It never burns out. It cannot be quenched. It is an eternal flame of love God has toward each of us. When the very flame of the Lord ignites our hearts, it burns within us to be released to others. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV).
© 2024, Chris Custer Werre