I know many of you will be able to relate to this recent article from Helen Calder in which she shares about the wounds YOU have dealt with now bringing a great revival.
As our prophetic journey unfolds, the enemy will attack us in the very area of our identity and destiny. And sometimes, the very ones who should have been our protectors are the ones who have inflicted great pain. If you can identify with that, Jesus wants you to know that your greatest encounter with Him is just ahead. You are right on time for a heavenly appointment. You will fulfill your calling and you will lead many into a first-love encounter with Jesus (Rev. 2:4). You will be known for revival.
Wounded in the Pursuit of Love
In Song of Songs chapter 5, we find the Shulamite in pursuit of her beloved. Searching for him has taken her away from her bed, and out into the streets at night. She is seeking the one who sought her first. The Shulamite comes across a group of watchmen, the night police and keepers of the city walls. Their role is to look out for the residents of the city and their safety. They are employed as guardians and yet are perpetrators of the very evil they are supposed to be protecting her from.
"The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls!" (Song of Songs 5:7 NIV)
Those Who've Held a Position of Trust
The Shulamite's encounter with the abusive watchmen is a picture of those who are meant to be our protectors, and yet, one or more of them has hurt us along the way. It may have been a parent or loved one; an overseer, a financial or medical advisor, a spiritual leader or boss. It may have been someone in our own employ, ministry or church. They held a position of trust. But instead of shielding us, they stripped away our covering, leaving us hurt and wounded.
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If you can relate to this, the Holy Spirit is ministering healing to you through God's Word. Jesus is wooing the wounded. You didn't expect the attack from that direction and it rocked you. But it couldn't rob you of your resolve to pursue God's presence, and you kept going.
Now you are emerging stronger and brighter. You are assured of your value, unwavering in your pursuit. The residue of pain and shame is falling away as you realize you are loved and desired by God! The King of the universe knows and calls you by name. Hear Him say, "You are My beloved."
Your Testimony is Being Revealed
"Nevertheless, make me this promise, you brides-to-be: if you find my beloved one, please tell him I endured all travails for him. I've been pierced through by love, and I will not be turned aside!" (Song of Songs 5:8 TPT)
This Scripture does not make light of the Shulamite's wounds. The account is raw and honest. Yet still she continues to seek the one she loves, and adjures her friends to seek him too. This is the very point at which those looking express utter amazement at how greatly she adores her beloved! "How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you so charge us" (Song of Songs 5:9 NIV)?
Neither broken trust, nor the abuse of others, can hinder you from your life's greatest calling: your love relationship with Jesus. Your most powerful testimony is being revealed. The attention of many is going to be arrested by your tenacity and your love for God. Now, the Song of Songs is about to reach its crescendo. The Shulamite will know her beloved as never before.
Once Burned, but Now Emerging Glorious
This is not the first contemplation of the Shulamite's trials. As the Song of Songs begins, she tells us that her brothers, who should have been her caretakers, treated her harshly. They made her work without relief.
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"Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother's sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect." (Song of Songs 1:6 NIV)
She feels the stares of those looking at her with a critical eye. We read honesty, authenticity and courage. The past has left its mark, but her history will not keep her from her destiny. She has been emotionally bruised. Her self-esteem has been dented by those in her own family, and so, she withdraws. But the call of the beloved reaches her: "Come out from your place of hiding! Let me hear your voice! How I long for you to be fully mine. The shadows of the past are falling away as you come into the brightness of my new day"(see Song of Songs chapter 2).
Your Love is a Testimony
Are you recovering from weariness or burnout? You are about to receive a greater revelation of God's love for you, and your value to Him, than you have ever experienced before. Just as the Shulamite found the gardens of her beloved, you are discovering the intimate place of God's presence.
The pursuit is worth it. You are emerging stronger, brighter, wiser. Your story will stand forever, evidenced in the many others who have been won by your example of love. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List
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Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries, a part of the David McCracken Ministries family. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in the areas of hearing God's voice, prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog, an online prophetic training and mentoring resource that reaches thousands of people globally. Helen and Malcolm have been married for 34 years.
