Let’s Catch Those Foxes!

The Shulamite Listen! I hear my lover’s voice. I know it’s him coming to me—leaping with joy over mountains, skipping in love over the hills that separate us, to come to me.

The Shepherd-King The one I love calls to me: Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling. Come away with me! I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out. For now is the time, my beautiful one. The season has changed, the bondage of your barren winter has ended, and the season of hiding is over and gone. The rains have soaked the earth and left it bright with blossoming flowers. The season for singing and pruning the vines has arrived. I hear the cooing of doves in our land, filling the air with songs to awaken you and guide you forth. Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you? The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth. The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere. The fragrance of their flowers whispers, “There is change in the air.” Arise, my love, my beautiful companion, and run with me to the higher place. For now is the time to arise and come away with me. For you are my dove, hidden in the split-open rock. It was I who took you and hid you up high in the secret stairway of the sky. Let me see your radiant face and hear your sweet voice. How beautiful your eyes of worship and lovely your voice in prayer. You must catch the troubling foxes, those sly little foxes that hinder our relationship. For they raid our budding vineyard of love to ruin what I’ve planted within you. Will you catch them and remove them for me? We will do it together.” Song of Solomon 2:8-15

Yesterday we took a walk with the Shulamite (us) calling out to Jesus to revive us with His presence and refresh us with His grace. As we continue our journey in the Song of Solomon, we hear the Shulamite saying, Listen, I hear my lover’s voice. He’s coming to me just like I asked. He’s leaping with joy over every mountain or hill that would try to separate us. You must know there is nothing that can stand in the way of His love and grace coming to you. Even if it is a mountain or hill you created. When we call out to Him- He is faithful to be there.

Let’s walk through the response of Jesus to us. Take time to really sit with these words spoken to you. The depth of this response requires time, meditate on His words to you. His response is, “Arise, my dearest, hurry my darling, come away with me! I have come as you have asked.” Jesus always calls us to an elevated posture of confidence in Him. He doesn’t allow us to sit in our darkness or delusion of ourselves. For now, is the time. The season has changed. The bondage of thoughts, regrets, mess-ups, and hurts are now over. This barren winter has ended. Oddly enough, we just experienced a record-breaking snow fall here on the Coast. Everything has been blanketed with snow and ice. Hiding everything under its purity. What happens after winter? Spring! New life breaking forth. It is the season for pruning. Pruning does not have to be painful if we see it right. Pruning should cause us to break forth in singing. It is a sign we are walking with Him daily when we are being pruned. As we see his pruning as a gift of care our lives begin to bloom like never before.

You are the dove of Jesus and He longs to see your radiant face and hear your sweet voice of worship and prayer. He then says something interesting. “You must catch the troubling foxes, those sly little foxes that hinder our relationship.” What are the sly foxes? Doubts, fear, anxiety, worry, wrong image of yourself or any compromise you have deep in your heart. These foxes are the areas we have not surrendered to the blood of Jesus. They hinder us from becoming the image of Christ in the earth. All of the precious things He plants in your heart will be stolen from you if you continue to allow the foxes to raid the garden of your heart. We must let go of all the past hurts or we are literally like a hamster on a never-ending wheel. Our relationship with Jesus will not grow. The restrictions on your life will remain. Nothing will ever change. Aren’t you ready to move forward in a healed, whole heart?

Jesus is asking, “Will you catch them and remove them?” When we think about the sly little foxes, we deal with on a daily basis the thought of catching them to remove them causes us to retreat. We have dealt with some of these doubts and feelings so long we don’t know how to live without them. We must understand the depths of the hinderance they cause in our relationship with Jesus and others. My favorite part of this passage is, “WE WILL DO IT TOGETHER”

All we have to do is acknowledge the foxes and be willing to bring them to Jesus and He helps us. Understand, He does NOT help us cope with the foxes. He helps us get rid of them. We are to be free so our garden can grow. Remember we talked about being a kingdom people others can feed from? He is calling us to a higher place with Him. It is a new day! Will you bring those foxes to Him? This is a time of excitement and joy. A prisoner who has been released is full of joy, not sadness or despair.

Let Jesus see your face of radiance and hear your beautiful voice of worship to Him. Shout with joy as you rid the foxes in your garden.