peace . love . joy

"No man can come to Me unless the Father who hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at the Last Day."
~ John 6:44

When God woos and courts us, in what manner does He go about this delicate business?

Is it a gentle affair?
Often, we read of Jesus as the Master fisher-of-men, an analogy from which many conclude that Jesus' wooing us, the fishes, is of a gentle nature, placing a significant emphasis on the processes of "attraction". Maybe this is because we tend, or perhaps even want to see Him as a kind and loving Savior, a silent and affable lamb, always patient, always caring. And so it is difficult for us to visualise Him as an agrily passionate and urgently violent Lover.

Perhaps it is so.
And perhaps "we only see what we want to see and believe what we want to believe... We lie to ourselves so much that after a while the lies start to seem like the truth" (Dr. Meredith Grey, "Grey's Anatomy").

In John 6:44, the Greek word used to record Jesus' meaning, translated here as the English "draw", is "" (pronounced hel'ko). It refers to a (figurative & literal) drawing; (a less violent) dragging.

That same hel'ko is also used in other instances in the New Testament such as Peter "drawing" his sword to cut off Malchus' ear (John 12:10), the disciples "drawing" the net after casting it on the other side of the ship (John 21:6), Peter "drawing" the net to the land when the ship neared the shore (John 21:11), Paul & Silas being "drawn" into the marketplace to face the rulers (Acts 16:19), etc.

While there are other Greek words used, such as suro, to mean roughly the same thing, the difference is hel'ko alludes to a purpose, be it in the final destination of the "drawing" or the aim the "drawing" serves.
And, compared to suro, another term for "dragging", hel'ko bears less brutality and force, though, if I may point out, this does not suggest a lack of intention nor urgency.

Each time hel'ko is used in the Bible in relation to God, many Bible dictionaries add that this metaphorical usage of "drawing" also pointed to a "drawing" by use of an inward, divine power. So when God hel'kos us, God the Father is drawing us nearer to Him, by the stirring of the Holy Ghost sealed within us, through Jesus the Son, a drawing not with a lenient and strengthless hand, but by a nature heavily pregnant with purpose, energy and urgency.

This is His idea of wooing, His idea of courting.

God knits us together in our mothers' wombs, and so carefully and meticulously, in His divine and perfect timing, reveals Himself as desirable and compulsory, as faithful and sovereign. He showers us with love so simple and yet incomprehensible, so gentle yet suffocating, that tugs at our heartstrings and causes our bones to ache. Those intimate moments we've shared with our Groom, the visions of life promised through this communion, the knowledge of what He has already done for us, the sacrifice He has made on the Cross.

All this in a bid to hel'ko us to Him!

Such is the extent and depth of His love that He would willingly pay the highest price, quietly perform the highest sacrifice, to lay down His life for us.

All that remains is our answer.

Does your heart ache,
And your lips beg?
Does your nose seek,
And your eyes search?

How does one respond to such a powerful hel'ko?

Will you echo the words of the Bride as she cries
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth -
For your love is better than wine.
Because of the fragrance of your good ointments,
Your name is ointment poured forth;
Therefore the virgins love you.
Draw me away!"
~ Song of Solomon 1:2-4a

Will you turn and run, o runaway bride?
Or will you walk towards the altar?

Will you depart from His presence and hide?
Or will you walk with Him forever?

Do you take Him to be your wedded Husband?

Do you with deepest joy come into your new life with Him?
As He has pledged to you His life and love, so too do you happily give yours to Him?

Do you in confidence submit yourself to His headship?

And will you live unto Him, loving Him, obeying Him, caring for Him and ever seeking to please Him?

Do you therefore throughout life, no matter what may be ahead of you, for better & for worse, for richer & for poorer, in sickness & in health, pledge to Him you life as an obedient and faithful wife?

"Marriage is like a party:
You know what you want the end to be, but you've got to stick to it.

Sometimes, you dance blissfully through it,
and other times, you plough stubbornly through it.

You'll find creases that need to be ironed out
and you'll find hearache,

But you keep on going,
Have fun along the way,
And it'll turn out great."
(a comment I once heard)