Why We Drift—and What It Takes to Find Our Way Back
A Detour in the Fire Swamp
Welcome back and thank you for joining me to conclude our study on the Song of Solomon. Today, we reflect on chapters 5 through 8.
My current rhythm goes something like this: I wake up, shower, and while my wife cooks breakfast, I read my Bible and highlight the verses that seem to pull at me. Later, when my mind needs a break from other projects, I come here to write this devotional.
But today—a curveball. Our Jeep needed new tires before an upcoming trip, and I figured I’d take care of it first thing this week. Six hours at a tire shop with nothing but a smartphone and a spiritual itch. And wouldn’t you know, God used that time to teach me something.
Dream Sequence and Disconnection
The verses that arrested my attention were:
“I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer. The watchmen found me… They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak…” — Song of Solomon 5:6–7, NIV
This is part of the bride’s second dream—where she realizes that her coldness and apathy have driven her beloved away. Her search is frantic but fruitless. And I realized: this happens not only in marriages, even in good ones—but also in our relationship with Jesus.
He warns the lukewarm church of Laodicea:
“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” — Revelation 3:16, NIV
Even faithful believers sometimes slide into routine. Christianity becomes something we do, not something we are. We serve with passion when we first believe, but then ministry becomes tiring, and Scripture gathers dust. We still claim Christ, but—truth be told—a stranger might not know it by our lifestyle.
When Christ Steps Aside
I’ve felt it. Walking side by side with the Lord… until I realized He wasn’t beside me anymore. My salvation was secure, but my focus wasn’t. I took His presence for granted, knowing He promised,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” — Hebrews 13:5, NIV
Still, I stopped paying attention. Relationships need maintenance—even the one we have with our Savior. And sometimes God lets us wander—not to punish, but to stir our longing. Like a child lost in a department store, we cry out for Him, realizing the emptiness of walking alone.
Heaven We Invent vs. Heaven We’re Offered
The bride’s pursuit reminded me of the film What Dreams May Come—where Chris Nielsen, played by Robin Williams, dies and wakes up in a heaven shaped by his wife’s paintings. But the heaven he envisions isn’t real. Consumed by guilt, his wife committed suicide and was trapped in a hell of her own making.
It’s a chilling metaphor for those of us who try to craft a god that permits all our choices. We imagine afterlives built around our comforts, rather than on God’s truth. We create heaven-ish, but not heaven.
This theme echoes John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, where Christian journeys toward the Celestial City, facing moral and spiritual trials all along the way. Like Chris, he struggles—but the struggle is holy, ordained, redemptive.
Sinking in Lightning Sand
There’s a scene in The Princess Bride where Wesley sinks into “lightning sand”—a nod to quicksand, but faster and silent. No warning. Just descent.
In real life, the “lightning sand” can be distraction, success, pride. We sink when we neglect the rope of grace offered to us. Death separates Chris. Sin slows Christian’s journey. Wesley’s love pulls him back from the brink—and love beckons us too.
In Song of Solomon, the bride—representing the Church—has separated herself from her beloved. And He allows that distance—not to be cruel, but to remind her how precious intimacy is.
Reconnection Isn’t Optional
God deserves more than lukewarm faith. He desires communion, not coexistence.
We miss out on fellowship, peace, and purpose when we treat Him as background noise. So I’d challenge you today: Where are you in relation to Jesus?
Are you walking hand-in-hand, eager for closeness? Or are you lingering near the clearance racks while He inspects the tires? Knowing He’s “somewhere over there” is not enough. It never was.
Let’s pursue the One who never stopped pursuing us.
Tomorrow, we will read Isaiah 1-4.
Citations (Chicago Style)
Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Song of Solomon 5:6–7.
Ibid., Revelation 3:16.
Ibid., Hebrews 13:5.
What Dreams May Come. Directed by Vincent Ward. Universal Pictures, 1998.
Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim’s Progress. London: Penguin Classics, 2008.
The Princess Bride. Directed by Rob Reiner. 20th Century Fox, 1987.