The call of God burning in your heart today is more than just a desire to “do something” for God. It is the uncontainable, unstoppable passionate longing to meet with the Lover of your soul and hear his heartbeat for your life. Here is the prayer of awakened desire:

“Draw me into your heart. We will run away together into the king’s cloud-filled chamber.”

Song of Songs 1:4 TPT

The Shulamite in the verse is asking to be drawn away in sacred intimacy with the King—drawn out of her comfort zone, drawn away from sin and self, into the loving arms of her Beloved.

You are the one who is loved by Jesus in this story. Be careful not to miss that and assume the lyrics of this love song are for someone else, somehow excluding you. You are the Shulamite, while Jesus is the King.

Nothing else can satisfy the thirst she feels for her Lover. She is ready to make a break from everything else to follow him alone. In spite of her weakness, she longs to be drawn to him and to be taken away from all that is unclean and impure. She has tasted his Spirit-kiss and the fragrance of his anointing, but she longs to be drawn with even greater power and glory. Is this your cry today?

When we ask to be drawn after the Son of God, we are asking that he be exalted to the highest place in our hearts. The maiden recognizes that spiritual growth is a response to God’s drawing love as it tugs at her heart. None of us seek God apart from his tender influence on our spirits, first drawing us toward him. His touch draws us to his heart, as he longs for us to know him as he truly is.

“The only way people come to me is by the Father who sent me—he pulls on their hearts to embrace me. And those who are drawn to me, I will certainly raise them up in the last day.”

John 6:44 TPT

Do you have a longing to be close to Jesus today? He will draw you so close that it breaks every chain that holds you back, every weight that holds you down. Even if he has drawn you a thousand times in the past, ask him to draw you again. Cultivate a friendship with him. See yourself as his partner, his companion, the one he wants to be with. He will be more to you than you can ever think or imagine.

Jesus draws us into his chamber to groom us for our eternal inheritance. He will “take us away” from our self and ambitions so that we will run together with him. Running with Jesus with all your heart is the only proper response when he draws you with his tender mercy and compassionate love. It is an act of holy zeal. To run after him will eventually bring us into his arms. We will become holy partners, touching others with this love that flows from his heart. We are drawn into intimacy so that we will be his partners in ministry.

Passion for Jesus always results in compassion for others. Jesus is on a mission, and he wants to include you in that mission. He is changing the hearts of people with the power of his love. The Son of God is longing for a bridal partner, not just a girlfriend. He is looking for one who will run with him to do the Father’s business.

Running represents obedience in action. We must hurry to do his will—not with a striving heart but resting at his side. We don’t stop “running” the first time we get hurt or discouraged. We don’t stop running when others fall at our side or when we are persecuted and misunderstood. This race we run is a destiny that is already sealed in our hearts. Nothing will stop us from running when we set our eyes on the Beloved and our hearts on pleasing him.

Jesus will have a bridal partner at his side who will run with him to touch the nations. As we sit at his feet long enough, we will be willing to get our feet “dirty” in serving this world. One day, if we will continue running with Jesus, our panting soul will find him and he will bring us to his secret place, fully and ultimately.

“We will run away together into the king’s cloud-filled chamber.”

Song of Songs 1:4 TPT

The King’s chamber? Would Jesus really take me into the dwelling place of the King? This divine, celestial chamber room is where God carries us into special experiences of his grace. This is his secret, private chamber where he discloses himself to the seeking heart; it is the treasure house of his heart. He does not bring us merely into the courtyard, but into his chamber, where we experience personal encounters with our King and fresh impartations of the Spirit in the secret place.

The meaning of the Hebrew is actually “a chamber inside of a chamber,” referring to the innermost chamber. This is where the King dwells, and this is where the King draws us. The Holy of Holies was actually a chamber inside of a chamber. This Holy Place is where Jesus wants to take you and me. We run into his heart and enter into his cloud-filled chamber. Only Jesus our King can bring us into the chamber room where he alone dwells. We enter not by our striving or maneuvering; he must bring us in by redeeming grace. Jesus is the Shepherd who carries the lamb over his shoulders, into his chamber (Luke 15:4-5). Still, we must pray and ask him to take us in and reveal his glory to us.

The chamber of his heart is open to us. What sacred mysteries he reveals in his chamber! Do you hear his invitation? Do you see the open door (Rev. 4:1)? Can you trust him to bring you in? Surely, one so holy, one so beautiful as he, would have better friends than us. Yet it is to us that this invitation is issued.

Imagine what this King could reveal to you if you spent time in his chamber, where only trusted friends are allowed to enter, exchanging friendship with a King. Wisdom, knowledge, and all the riches of Christ may be found in the beautiful gallery of the King’s chamber. The maiden cries out for kisses of intimacy and promises to run with him. He responds by leading her into the chamber room experiences of deeper revelation.

Every one of us must have a secret history in God, a hidden life in his chamber. This is where the Lord develops us and matures us in preparation for running with him. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, and that place is his chamber room full of power, revelation, and love. It is the hiding place prepared for you.

The King’s chamber is open to every seeking heart. Don’t think you must wait until heaven to be drawn into his chamber. Ask him to bring you in today. Search for the chamber of the King and you will find him within the veil.

The above was adapted from The Sacred Journey, a devotional commentary that takes you verse-by-verse through the book of Song of Songs, helping lead every hungry soul to discover God’s fiery heart of love.