A True Shining Knight

When I was young I loved fairy tales. The thought of being a Princess, trapped in a high tower with a mighty dragon keeping all outsiders away, and having a dashing prince defeating the dragon and rescuing me, seemed like the most idealistic dream ever. The Knight in Shining Armour seemed so perfect until I got older and saw that real life doesn't often present maidens with that set of circumstances. Fairy Tales became more distant and the present reality of life set in. But I won't deny that in the depths of my heart there has always remained a desire to be the kind of maiden that a man would fight for and be willing to risk his life for. This morning as I was reading my devotional and some verses in Song of Solomon, I realized that my fairy tale dream has in fact come true. I was a maiden, though not the nice beautiful maiden you would think a prince would fight for. I was trapped in a high and filthy tower, heavily guarded by the dragon of my own sin. In my miserable state there was no way I could escape. But my Prince not only fought to rescue me, He actually gave His very life to slay that dragon. He gave more than any fairy tale prince EVER did! And He did all that to save a maiden that was not very beautiful, and was rather filthy and vile, because He loved me. He conquered death and turned this filthy being into the beautiful princess that He wanted me to be. He covers me with His wondrous love. Yes, perhaps in my sinful state, there were moments when the dirty tower and the dragon presented some sort of messed up safety. When I was trapped there, I thought my life was my own, but it was only as much my own as the tower was round. I was confined to that room. It seemed like safe freedom until my Prince came. Then I saw the light of true, loving freedom! I saw the mountains and the hills, rivers and seas, the sky, and all of the beautiful lands that surrounded His heavenly kingdom. The love I find in the shadow of my Lord is so much deeper, so much purer, so much more satisfying than that of the dragon. My Prince came for me not because of beauty, purity, or holiness. He came for me because He loved me and I so desperately needed Him even though I didn't even see my need for Him. 

"He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love."

Song of Solomon 2:4