697_I sought him whom my soul loves (Song of Songs 3:1-4)
Songs of Songs 3:1-4 On my bed by night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not.
2 I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
3 The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I had brought him into my mother’s house,
and into the chamber of her who conceived me.
A little child got separated from his mother in a crowded marketplace. At first he was distracted by all the sights and sounds around him. Suddenly he realized she was nowhere nearby. Everything else lost its appeal. The toys no longer mattered. With tears in his eyes, he began pushing through the people. Nothing could satisfy him until he was safely in her arms again.
Love creates longing. Love creates pursuit. Love refuses to remain passive. The words of the Shulammite woman in the Song of Songs are powerful: “I sought him whom my soul loves” (Song of Songs 3:1).
Those words are repeated four times in that brief passage. It is the cry of a heart that cannot rest without the beloved. This dream-like scene in the night becomes a picture of the spiritual life itself.
The Shulammite says, “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not.” Even at rest, her thoughts were occupied with her beloved. He had filled her heart so completely that even her dreams revolved around seeking him. Love had taken possession of her inner world.
This is genuine affection. Whatever captures our heart captures our thoughts. Though we speak about seeking God, do we truly desire Him? Is He merely part of our life, or is He the One whom our soul loves?
The Shulammite says, “I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves.” Love moved her to action.
Here is no casual half-hearted seeking. With the desperation of longing, she rises from her bed to walk through the streets, asking the watchmen, “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” She is not embarrassed by her pursuit of the one she loves.
Scripture provides numerous examples of this holy desperation.
Jacob wrestled with the Lord through the night, crying, “I will not let You go unless You bless me” (Genesis 32:26). Hosea reveals the truth of the matter, “He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor” (Hosea 12:4). Jacob had obtained his father’s blessing already, but he knew his lack: true blessing comes only from God Himself.
At that moment, faith was no longer theoretical. Jacob clung to God because he had nowhere else to go.
Joseph’s brothers hated him, rejected him, and mocked him. Yet he willingly left home at his father’s word, and wandered the fields to find them. His remarkable words were, “I am seeking my brothers” (Genesis 37:16).
This is the heart of Christ. Romans 5 tells us that “while we were still weak,” “while we were still sinners,” and even “while we were enemies,” Christ died for us. We did not seek him, yet he came looking for us. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
In every genuine search for God, we realize he has already been searching for us, long before our story began.
And yet Scripture repeatedly calls us to seek Him earnestly.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” Isaiah 55:6 urges us, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “You will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
This is not a call to outward devotion, but a wholehearted pursuit of God. Sometimes we treat spiritual life as a routine rather than a relationship. We can attend meetings, sing hymns, read verses, without longing for Christ Himself. But the bride in the Song of Songs wants nothing short of his presence.
And when she finally finds him, she says, “I held him, and would not let him go.” She clings to him because she cannot live without him.
We may have seasons when prayer seems to go unanswered, when the soul feels dry. But even then, God is at work, deepening and testing our desire for him. He lets us hunger so that we may know how much we need him. In that need, we embrace our Lord, the Bread of Heaven.
The psalmist said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Psalm 42:1). Hunger is often the evidence of life and health. A soul that no longer seeks God is in danger.
What does it mean to seek Him? For Jesus is not to be seen in physical form today. We have no image of him in our minds. How do we know when we have found Him?
The prophet Zephaniah gives us an important clue in Zephaniah 2:3, saying, “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do His just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility.”
Seeking God becomes connected with seeking righteousness and humility. It’s not about chasing mystical experiences or emotional excitement, but the love we feel and show for the nature of God Himself. Those who seek God love his holiness, righteousness, mercy, truth, purity, humility, and love.
Jesus Christ reflected this character in all fullness. To seek Him is to follow Him.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). The hunger for righteousness is really a hunger for God. And he fills it by giving us Christ, our new life and our righteousness.
Abiding in Christ cannot be separated from loving and obeying Him. Jesus said in John 14:21, “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me.” As we trust His words and walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, we begin to reflect him more truly and more fully in our hearts and lives.
Seeking Him involves pursuing truth when lies are easier. It involves seeking humility in a world obsessed with self-exaltation. It means pursuing purity, loving our enemies, forgiving offenders, serving quietly, praying faithfully, and walking honestly before God.
James 4:8 is a wonderful promise: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” God does not ignore the seeking soul. Hebrews 11:6 emphasizes that He “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
When we find ourselves spiritually dry or distant from God, scripture does not condemn us but calls us to rise now and seek him. Pursue him whom your soul loves. Pray in quietness, go through his word thoughtfully and humbly. Ask him to open your eyes and awaken your love. Seek His face and not His gifts.
Some have never truly known Christ. You may have searched for meaning in success, relationships, pleasure, achievement, or knowledge, yet still feel restless inside. That restlessness may actually be the soul’s longing for its Creator.
The Lord says, “Seek, and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). Not because seekers are worthy, but because God is gracious. The gospel is good news because it offers us the certainty that while we are seeking Him, He has been seeking us all along.
The Shulammite finally says, “I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go.” Let this be the testimony of our hearts as well. Not merely that we knew about Him, not merely that we admired Him, but that we sought Him earnestly, found Him, and clung to Him in love.
For it is what we seek that we will find, and it will shape who we become.
So seek Him early, before the noise of the world fills your mind. Seek Him in His Word. Seek Him in prayer. Seek Him through obedience. Seek Him through righteousness and humility. Seek Him when He feels near, and seek Him when He feels distant.
For the promise still stands true: “Those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing” (Psalm 34:10).
Let us always, honestly, say, with deep affection and unwavering devotion, “I sought Him whom my soul loves.” God bless.
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