He Calls You Beautiful By Dee BrestinSample

A Kiss from the King

Is anything more electrifying than a first kiss? A kiss of desire is where we begin the Song of Songs. This poetic refrain illumines the spiritual picture throughout the Song, for passionate desire is what we need most if we are to have vibrancy in our relationship with Jesus.

One of the greatest weaknesses we have individually and corporately is lack of desire for the Lord. We have church programs but not shared passion. We have routines but not longing. We sometimes treat God like a spiritual vending machine instead of a Person who desires intimacy with us. We might be tempted to see reading Scripture as a duty to check off.

The Song reminds us that we need to be spiritually kissed! We need to come to our time with God with an attitude of expectancy, raising our face to His. God longs for us to be alert to His kisses all through the day: the sense of wonder when we wake up, the joy we feel when we walk in His love, and the grace that washes over us when we truly repent. All these are evidences of God being in relationship with His responsive bride.

At times I see something in the Bible that I had not understood before and my spirit comes alive, not just because I now see with clarity, but also because I sense the very presence of God revealing Himself to me. He is being intimate with me.

God doesn’t kiss me every time I read His Word, but I try to remember to ask Him to do so. Even when I forget, sometimes He delightfully surprises me. It reminds me of how my husband, Steve, would sometimes come up behind me when I was working in the kitchen, turn me around, and kiss me soundly.

A kiss from the King can wake us to see glimpses of God’s restoration here and now—and create in us a desire for more.

Have you ever felt a “kiss” from God? What was it like?