Prince Jesus woos His chosen with a holy love. He assures the “princess” that she’s secure and crushes her false lovers. When Satan feeds her lies, the Prince guides her to repentance and true heart change, for God’s glory and her god. Donna Hart, PhD, first shared this article here and is used with permission. It is inspired by Dr. Robert Kellemens’s book Soul Physicians; see endnotes.
There was once a ravishing, innocent, and beautiful princess who was lured and seduced into the wrong ways of life, losing her innocence. Who can restore her? There is only one Prince who is capable.
The most glorious Prince of all time invades her world from beyond her planet. The supernatural realm makes Himself known in her natural realm. He fights and slays the evil enemies of sin and Satan, but at great cost. He is mortally wounded and dies a seemingly tragic death.
Then power from before the dawn of time resurrects Him, and the despairing and ravished princess shares in His resurrection. Coming back to life, her glory returns. We think this is just a fairy tale, but for one fact her tale is true.
A True Fairy Tale?
The Prince was well within His rights to stop the pursuit of the wayward princess. But He pursues her over and over again. Matthew 23:37 gives us a snapshot of His pursuit,
…How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not.
Jesus’ love pursues with intense passion. It is an engaging, honest, tough, bold, and grace-filled love. Jesus died for His princess, He has come for her.
She runs. He chases. She hides. He seeks her out.
The essence of God’s love is holy love. God loves her with a perfect blend of the tough love to move her toward holiness and tender love that helps her know she is secure. He knows when to confront, challenge, caress, and crush her false lovers. His perfecting knowledge knows when to leave her feeling empty, and He knows how to allure her romantically leaving her desperately desirous of His filling.
“Allure means to persuade, to attract by tender persuasion, and to entice. It is used in other places in the Old Testament for a man seducing a woman (Exodus 22:16) and of Delilah enticing Samson (Judges 14:15-16). Used with God in a positive sense, it means wooing, courting, romantically persuading.”[1] God stops at nothing to cause her to crave Him more than anything (Psalm 4).
The Prince Initiates Love
How does Jesus win her heart? He initiates her salvation, she doesn’t. “He begins the chain of love (1 John 4:19; 1 John 4:1). Have you ever noticed when you fight with someone you have to be big-hearted and humble-spirited enough to restart the chain of love?”[2]
How much more is this true with God, who never has to say, “I’m sorry?” He reaches a soft hand and whispers a kind word, “I forgive you.”
And our hearts melt.
How is your heart won, or drawn to God’s goodness? Our hearts are won in the opposite means from which how they are lost.
Beware the Trickster Satan
“Satan dupes us into abandoning God when he tricks us into seeing God as a Hoarder and a cruel bully. Jesus allures us back to God when He tantalizes our imagination with God’s goodness. To despise God’s goodness means to look down or think down upon it. We deny His goodness; we make little of it or distort it entirely.”[3]
It is only when our hearts surrender that they are melted by His goodness, and His gracious kindness toward us.
God’s gracious goodness leads us to repentance and to a change of mind about His character. Now we think highly of Him and His grace. “God’s goodness wins our hearts as we are enticed by His longsuffering/patience. God is long-tempered, not short-fused. He demonstrates self-restraint in the face of being provoked, not hastily retaliating or promptly punishing. He is merciful.”[4]
The Beauty of Change
Change begins when our hearts turns to Christ’s grace. Wake up to the sovereign work of God. Own up. We see, think and feel accurately about what we do. We say what we need to say to God, we ask Him for forgiveness for the seriousness of sin. Seek the mercy of God and rely upon the promise of His mercy like a refugee. We know we have done the work of repentance when our hearts fill with joy and gratitude.
There is something in the way God runs the universe that to actually say what’s wrong and come public with it, is hugely beneficial. One thing it does is forever cuts out your ability to make persuasive excuses to yourself. (David Powlison, Changing Hearts Changing Lives)
This is exactly what melted Dulcinea’s heart in The Man of La Mancha. Living the life of a prostitute, she encounters Don Quixote who sees buried beauty in her. She resists ferociously, mocking him ruthlessly. Don Quixote refuses to relent. Treating her like a princess, he even risks death to defend here honor. On his deathbed, she finally surrenders. She is won by his persistently good heart. Her life changed now, changed by grace.[5}
It is like Paul’s words to Titus,
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:11-12).
How have you experienced God’s good heart wooing you to Him?
[1] Robert Kellemen, Soul Physicians (Winona Lake:BMH Books, 2007), p. 328.
[2] Ibid., 328-329.
[3] Ibid., 328.
[4] Ibid., 329.
[5] Ibid., p. 329.
