SS 8:5, Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?
Sometimes the wilderness is initiated by the enemy, then there are other times that the wilderness is totally orchestrated by the Lord, as in the 40 days of Jesus temptation. Matthew 4 says that Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Theword tempted there can also be translated “tested.” I know that there are people who say that God would never leave a person in the wilderness because God is good; but the idea of God’s goodness is never on trial regardless of what we go through, and been Scriptures tell us that God orchestrated the wilderness then we have to trust His unchanging nature, even though our minds may not be on the comprehend his ways. The one thing that we do know for certain, is that whoever orchestrates the wilderness, God always intends to use it to cultivate transformation in our lives. I love the simplicity of that verse in song of Solomon in chapter 8 because it talks about transformation, and how that transformation was cultivated. By the time we get to chapter 8, the Shulumite has progressed greatly in her One Thing pursuit of experiencing and manifesting fully her union with Christ. That verse above tells us that God used the wilderness to help facilitate her progress. It starts out by saying “who is that coming up out of the wilderness,” as if to say there is something about her as she is coming up out of the wilderness that is different, so much so that she’s almost unrecognizable. Her transformation into Christ likeness has advanced, and the next thing that were told in that verse gives us insight as to how. “Who is this coming up out of the wilderness LEANING ON HER BELOVED.” In the place of trial and testing she had learned to lean into her beloved more heavily, and as a result her union with Christ advanced in its manifestation. One of the signs of spiritual maturity is that we take advantage of the wilderness in cultivating a deeper “leaning” posture. In the wilderness we are more desperate for him, and intimacy, at deeper levels becomes imperative, and the great priority. The other thing that adversity cultivates is more childlike faith as we lean into His adequacy. The wilderness simply becomes a platform that promotes deeper intimacy, and dependency, which always results in greater transformation. As you walk through time of testing don’t lean into the wilderness, and the pain and confusion that the wilderness can bring, but lean into your beloved, and when the time comes, and it will come, that the wilderness season comes to an end, you will discover that you have come up out of it a different person abiding in Christ.