September 18—Morning—Song of Solomon 7:5
"The king is held in the galleries." — Song of Solomon 7:5

And who but Jesus is the King in Zion? As one with the Father, God over all, blessed forever, He is indeed the eternal, immortal, invisible King. And as Mediator, the God-man, He is my God and King—both by His conquest of my heart and by the voluntary surrender of my soul. Yes, blessed Jesus, I not only hail You as my God and King, but I would have every knee bow before You and every tongue confess that You are Lord and King, to the glory of God the Father.

But, my soul, what are those galleries where your King is held? Are they the Scriptures of truth, where Jesus is held and revealed, adored and admired? Or are they the public ordinances of His house, the place where His honor dwells? Or perhaps the secret chamber, the closet of prayer and meditation, where He comes to visit His people and knocks at the door of their hearts, coming in to sup with them and they with Him?

Well, my gracious, condescending Lord, wherever those galleries may be—whether in public worship or private devotion—when You come to wrestle with my poor, heedless, and sleepy heart, I will hold You there, as the patriarch Jacob did, saying, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." Like another patriarch, I would say, "My Lord, if I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant. Rest Yourself under the tree; I will bring You a morsel of Your own bread, and You may comfort Your heart, for You have come to Your servant" (Genesis 18:3-5).

I would plead with You, Lord, not to be as a passing traveler who stays for a night and departs, but to remain with me in the galleries of Your grace and strength imparted to my poor soul. I would beg You to stay until the dawn of day, to reveal Yourself fully to me in the breaking of bread and in prayer. Yes, my adorable King, my Lord and my God! I would hold You fast, not letting You go until You bring me into my mother's house, the church, and until You bring me home to Your eternal habitation above. There, I would sit at Your feet, never to leave again, drinking forever from the fountain of joy, tasting the spiced wine of eternal felicity.
 

September 18—Evening—1 John 2:6
"He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." — 1 John 2:6

What a sweet testimony to the truth as it is in Jesus, when, being united to Christ, we are also walking with Christ, and the same Spirit that filled Him fills us. No one walks as Christ walked without first being united to Him. But when truly united to Christ, the evidence is clear: we begin to love what Jesus loves and hate what Jesus hates. Like Ruth said to Naomi, so the believer says to the Lord Jesus: "Where You go, I will go; where You lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and Your God my God."

My soul, consider what a blessed and irrefutable proof it is, both to yourself and to those around you, when from abiding in Christ, you live as Christ lived—His Holy Spirit moving in you, speaking through you, walking in you, and doing all things in you. As the soul gives life and action to the body, so Christ, who is the soul of the believer, gives life and action to the soul. This is why Paul, so fully animated by the indwelling Spirit of Christ, said it was not he who lived, but Christ who lived in him: "The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

My soul, can you say the same? "If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness" (Romans 8:10). Oh, for grace to so abide in Jesus, that every act of my life may testify to "whose I am, and whom I serve." May my soul, like the martyr who answered every question with, "I am a Christian," be so filled with Christ that every word, every act, and every thought proclaims my union and oneness with Him. May all those with whom I interact plainly see that I am no longer my own, but that "having been bought with a price, I glorify God in my body and in my spirit, which are both His."

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Robert Hawker