He brought me to the banquet room, and his banner over me is love.
Song of Solomon 2:4 (NCV)
Perhaps it’s just human nature, but we live in a world that loves to put each of us into categories. We are told to believe either that we measure up or that we fall seriously short, that we are either right or very, very wrong. The world wants to divide us, to line us up under tacky neon signs that flash inaccurate labels over our heads. And let’s face it, most days we walk around with a few labels of our own, and place “banners” over ourselves and plenty of others. Those labels either advertise shame and “incompleteness” to the world, or they advertise over-confidence and pride.
Song of Solomon in the Bible, also known as Song of Songs, is a love song that was written by King Solomon. Some believe this book is just about romantic love between a married couple, while others believe it is about God’s passion and love for all His people. It is actually both. The Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ, and this book is about maturing in a marriage relationship, which is a beautiful picture of Christ’s love for us and how our love for Jesus grows over time and reaches maturity. The “banquet room” in Hebrew means house of wine. It was a place reserved for celebrations. Perhaps God wants to bring us to a place in our faith where we don’t overthink, where we don’t buy into other people’s labels, and where we don’t need to focus on ourselves at all. God wants us to focus on HIM, to find our identity in His love, and that is what He wants us to celebrate!
Even though the world loves to label and divide, Jesus loves to unite, and He destroys those obnoxious, human-made, temporary labels that are all based on opinion. Instead, He gives you your very own banner, and His banner celebrates precisely who He created you to be. Like a banner at a wedding that identifies the newlywed couple, your beautiful banner says you belong. It says you are His! It says you are crowned, redeemed, and fully-loved by the God of the Universe who dreamed you up, created you, and gave you life. It identifies your place of honor in the family of God. No matter where you go, no matter how you’re feeling, and no matter who hangs incorrect labels over your head, God’s banner of love is with you—always and forever and no matter what! Jesus is constantly celebrating you and reminding you that you are His. So celebrate the One who’s the BEST and ignore the rest! You are loved!