NIV 365 / Prolonging the Passion

The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading Plan

Day 260 of 365 Prolonging the Passion ``Stuck on each other like Super Glue" is the best way I can describe the behavior of Andrea and Kevin, two friends of ours who came to visit us a few weeks after their wedding. It seemed as if every second of the day, Andrea and Kevin were touching each other-holding hands during breakfast, nestling together on the couch, walking shoulder-to-shoulder around the neighborhood, playing footsie during church. And in those rare moments when they weren't physically connected in some way, they were gazing longingly at each other. Recalling the early stages of courtship and marriage might evoke images of romance: bouquets of flowers, candlelight dinners, kisses in the starlight. But in this love poem from Song of Songs, the author creates a remarkable vision using the idea of fragrance to symbolically capture the essence of passionate love. This love scene opens with the king reclining at his table, while his beloved is some distance away. She describes her love and desire for him as a powerful perfume permeating the room. But the next image is unforgettable: She describes her beloved as a "sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts." We imagine her descending to his couch, drawing his head to her chest, right against her heart. This image visually communicates their interdependence and longing for intimacy. In the next verse, the woman compares her beloved to a valuable shrub in the desert oasis of En Gedi. This is not merely an expression of physical passion-she is declaring that he is an oasis to her in a dry, barren land. He is renewal! He is life! These Biblical lovers represent the epitome of God's plan for marital intimacy: passionate love that is both physical and emotional. Like Andrea and Kevin, who couldn't get enough of each other, Song of Songs vibrantly portrays the strong feelings and desires that characterize the initial stage of courtship and marriage. But what about the rest of marriage? The good news is that God created sexuality for all stages of marriage. Sure, the "Super Glue phase" will eventually pass, but couples who are intentional about celebrating God's good gift of sexuality can continue to discover deeper and more meaningful bonds of marital love throughout the changing stages of married life: The excitement of physical intimacy between newlyweds. The wonder at the miracle of "one flesh" when a child is born. The deepening physical connection developed in the ups and downs of parenting, career moves and changing bodies. The quiet intimacy of holding hands. A loving gaze and a confident kiss as time passes. The quiet sense of knowing each other more truly than any other human being on Earth. The awesome, growing bond God intends for your marriage is more constant than gravity, more compelling than magnetism and far more powerful than Super Glue. -David and Kelli Trujillo Taken from NIV Couples' Devotional Bible Song of Solomon 1:12-13 Song of Solomon 1:12-13 KJV 12 While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. 13 A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.