He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
– Song of Solomon 2:4
What a beautiful verse in the middle of this Bible book that celebrates romantic love between a husband and a wife in marriage. That’s what this book is all about.
Song of Solomon 2:4 teaches how romantic love in marriage reflects God’s love.
And at the same time, we know that God has designed marriage to be a picture of Jesus’ love for the church. And of the church’s love for Jesus. So when we read Song of Solomon, let’s read it very plainly for what it is. It is a celebration of romantic love between a husband and a wife. According to God’s design in marriage. And let’s realize that’s a picture of Jesus’ love for us and our love for Jesus. So when we come to Song of Solomon 2:4, we see this picture of a wife being brought into a banqueting house. And the banner that her husband spreads over her is love.
This verse should lead us to pray for marriages that are covered with a banner of love over one another. So for any of us who are married, we should pray for this kind of security in one another’s love. And then beyond our own marriages. Or even for those who are single. Let’s pray for every marriage we know to experience this kind of security and love and covering with love over one another. All in a way that reflects God’s love for us.
Jesus spreads a banner over his Bride, the Church, his people. And the banner he spreads over us is indeed love. We live in the security of his love. So let’s pray accordingly. God, we pray for every marriage we know. Including some of our own marriages and every other marriage that’s coming to our mind. And God, we pray this, especially over marriages that are struggling right now.
Song of Solomon 2:4 explains the depth of love we’re called to give.
God, we pray for the restoration of the banner of love that you have designed for marriage. Lord, for any of us who are married, we pray for marriages that are marked by deep, secure, satisfying, love for one another, help each of us who is a husband or wife, to cover our spouse with love, to lavish them with love, to spread a banner of love over them.
God, we pray for the restoration of that kind of love in hurting marriages. We pray for grace to get there, to do the hard work, to get there. God, we pray for grace to do the hard work to maintain this banner of love and to increase it, to deepen it. And God, at the same time, we praise you for the banner of love that Jesus has spread over us. God, we praise you for the security that we have today in your love for the covering of divine love that we live in on a moment-by-moment, day-by-day basis at all times.
We praise you for the banquet we experience in your presence, in your Word, with your Spirit, just the feast of new mercy every morning, your goodness and love following us all the days of our lives. So God, help us to spread that love to other people around us today, to spread that love to people around the world.
Prayer for the Valluvan People
God, we pray for the Valluvan people of India for 135,000, Tamil-speaking, men, women, and children, 0% of whom right now know your love in Jesus. God, we pray that the Valluvan people would be reached with the banner of your love in Jesus. Please, God bless your church in India, others outside India, for the spread of your love to the Valluvan people, all in light of your Word, in Song of Solomon 2:4, which we love. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
