“When you seek Me, you will find Me, if you seek Me with your whole heart.” Jesus said those words while on the earth, and I wonder if this text was not on His mind. As we read this literary wonder, we must remember that all the Scriptures point to Messiah. As the “beloved” seeks for her “lover” in every corner of the city, she finds him once she has talked with the proper authorities who hopefully pointed her in the right direction. Even in our crazy, culture-driven world, people are desperately looking for meaning in life. They are searching high and low for an answer that will actually transform them from who they are to who they believe they should be. They ask bartenders and dealers and the prostitute on the street how to find meaning and are always sold a bag of goods that is destined to disappoint. Why do they ask those people? I suspect it is because most Christians do not spend time in those parts of the city for our own purity and peace. We expect those who are searching to come to us, and some do, but the majority have been scared away by the cultural ideology against the church. If they are going to find that meaning in life, then they have to come in contact with someone who actually knows where to find it. A bottle, a needle, or a night will not provide meaning, but the Gospel will radically change everything. When the beloved talked to the right officials, she found her love. When we are there armed with the Gospel, then people can find Jesus, their Messiah, and be completely changed. Only He can do it, and we are His messengers. How will we get to those who need to hear the Gospel we are preaching?

Help me, Lord, to seek the lost like this lady sought for her love. Help me to always be ready with the Gospel and to be in places where those conversations can happen for Your glory and for their transformation.