Summer 1991

A Single Eye
Wade E Taylor

"Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes ... My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away" SS 1:15; 2:10.

The Bridegroom has seen within the Bride a quality that has attracted His singular attention towards her. She has a "single eye" which is focused upon Him. Therefore, He sees her in a different relationship to Himself than he many Daughters of Jerusalem. His favor, or approbation now rests upon her and He has begun the process of drawing her, as His Bride, unto Himself.

There are two different levels of relationship in our spiritual development. The first is to find its outworking WITHIN US. Deep within each one of us is a "Chamber" which we are to make ready, into which we, "AS A BRIDE," are to receive our Heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, for quality times of fellowship with Him. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come IN TO HIM, and will sup with him, and he with me" Rev 3:20.

The second is to find its outworking WITHIN HIS THRONE. Here, "AS ANOVERCOMER" (matured son) we are brought up into the "Chamber" which He has made ready, the Throne of the resurrected and ascended Lord Jesus Christ. "To him that overcometh will I grant TO SIT WITH ME in my Throne even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His Throne" Rev 3:21.

Corresponding to these two areas of relationship are two levels of experience in our identification with the Lord. The first finds its fulfillment in our communion with the Lord. Through our devotion and submission TO the Son, we experientially relate to Him as a Bride. As we open our spirit in response to the seeking presence of our Heavenly Bridegroom, He will enlarge the spiritual capacity that is within us. This results in a growth in the quality of our times of personal fellowship and communion with our Lord, AS HISBRIDE. "He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom" John 3:29a.

The second is experienced in our relationship to Him in His Throne. Through our overcoming obedience and cooperation WITH The Son, we are raised up into a place of identification with Him, as a Son. As our times of "over-comings" begin to outweigh our "short-comings," we develop towards spiritual maturity. This increase in our spiritual capacity will enable the Lord to impart to us an understanding of the principles and workings of His Kingdom. This will equip us for participation with Him in His Throne, AS A SON. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him" II Tim 2:12a.

These two expressions metaphorically refer to our redemptive relationships toHim: AS A BRIDE, and AS A SON. For us to properly function in these two parallel relationships, there must be resident within us an abiding sensitivity to His presence and to His voice. This requires a determined "set" of our spirit toward fully knowing, and obeying Him.

The key is to respond to the Lord Jesus in our heart, expressing to Him our love, our trust, and our desire to be obedient. As we do this, He will come to us in His manifested presence so we, as a Bride, may be able to enjoy times of intimate communion with Him. At other times He will lead us, as a Son, into the area of His Throne where we will be enabled to participate with Him in the outworking of His purpose towards mankind. "And f children, then heirs; heirs of God, and JOINT-HEIRS with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" Rom 8:17.

We will never be qualified to "rule" with Him (Rev 2:26-27; 5:10; 20:6) until we have first fully submitted ourselves to Him as a Bride. (Therefore, our seeking should be centered in our being prepared to become His Bride). "Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and HIS WIFE HATH MADE HERSELF READY. And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb" Rev 19:7-9a ASV.

This special time of preparation in becoming His Bride will begin as we so completely fall in love with Jesus that our fervent expressions of love to Him stirs Him to become singularly interested in us. "While the King sitteth at His table, MY SPIKENARD SENDETH FORTH THE SMELL THEREOF" SS 1:12. This continuing upward flow of the "fragrance" of our love for Him will result in our Heavenly Bridegroom taking special notice of us, apart from all others. He will respond to these expressions of our love for Him, and in return, tell us of His love for us, "Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes" SS 1:15.

Notice that the Lord spoke to her as being a "Dove." A dove is similar to a pigeon, but a dove has a very unusual quality - it has a single eye. That is, it does not have side vision. For this reason, doves are often referred to as "love birds." When a dove sets its gaze upon another dove, it sees nothing else, nor is it easily distracted. Its eye is single.

In order for us to come into these realms of communion (Bride) and cooperative experience (Son) with our Heavenly Bridegroom, we must contend for the development within us of this "single eye" which has clear focus and discernment. Our having this single eye is extremely important. "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" Eph 1:18.

We were created with the ability to focus our desires upon that which I spiritual and relates to God. Because of sin, this became dulled and then dormant, and our vision turned earth-ward. Our inner man, quickened and inhabited by the Holy Spirit through the New Birth, has a newly created ability, or capacity to respond to His presence, and to come to know Him intimately. All we need do is become willing to lift our spirit heaven-
ward towards Him. One of the greatest miracles of creation is discovered in the fact that an infinite and mighty God finds great pleasure and satisfaction in His times of fellowship with finite beings, you and me.

It is here that we find our true fulfillment. It is not possible for us to experience completion, apart from Him. It should be perfectly natural and normal for us, as a new creation, to move into "the deeper things of God" and to enjoy His manifest presence and fellowship. The Lord created us with this ability because His original intention was for us to commune with Him.

The Lord will respond to us when He sees that we are beginning to long for His friendship, and that we are determined to develop a single eye toward Him. He will personally come to us and gently, lovingly speak a specific, encouraging word to us that will be as music to our inner being - "Oh my dove."

A created "fundamental urge of life" is resident within each one of us and manifests itself as our primary soul strength. Within this is "The Law of Self-preservation" which operates at the very root of our Adamic nature. Left to ourselves this law controls us, finding its expression through us in many diverse ways. The Lord must deal with this "self-perpetuating soul-strength" at its very root in order to bring us to the place where we will be able to truly say, "Lord, I entirely give up my right to my own life. I am totally yours; you may do with my life AS YOU PLEASE. I understand what this means and I will respond rightly as you accomplish within me all that you desire."

The experience of Job is a clear example of the power of this Law of Self-preservation. The Lord allowed him to go through a series of testings in order to bring about a correction in his makeup. Satan came before the Throne and told the Lord that the only reason Job served Him was because of the blessings which he received. The Lord allowed Satan to remove these blessings from Job in order to reveal what he would do. Job's reaction was: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord" Job 1:21b.Here Job maintained his relationship with the Lord. The devil again came before the Lord and said, "The real interest of Job is his own flesh. If You touch his flesh, then he will curse You." The Lord then told Satan that he could touch his body, but not take his life.

The next picture we see is of Job sitting on the ash heap, covered with boils. His wife, friends, and comforters had turned against him, but again Job retained his trust in the Lord. He came to the place to which we must come, to break this power of self-preservation and remove its place of control from our lives. Job cried out and said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" Job 13:15a. After this experience, Job was able to say, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee" Job42:5. Job had been set free from his self-centered life. He could clearly seethe Lord who had brought him into this place of vision and understanding.

A person's life can be pictured as a vessel. If a vessel becomes marred in some way while a potter is working on it, he reduces it to powder. Then here makes it into something that is either useful, beautiful, or both, as he sees best. The problem is that we, as a vessel in the hands of the Master Potter, re not always willing to allow Him to reduce our lives to powder so He can remake us, as He chooses. We must implicitly trust Him, realizing that He ill form us in such a way that it will bring forth the very best from the potential that He sees to be within us. However, many of us have been reluctant to trust the Master Potter with our lives.

One time, the Lord visited us during Chapel in a very unusual way. He prophetically revealed Himself to us as a master musician who greatly desired to hear a symphonic composition. But first, all of the instruments had to be tuned. The discordant sound was horrible as they were being brought into tune. The Lord made known to us His infinite patience, as He knew that once these instruments were brought into tune, a harmonious symphony would come forth in all of its beauty and power.

The Lord then caused us to understand that each one of us were seen by Him as being one of these instruments that were to bring forth this beautiful musical expression that He longed to hear. He let us know that presently we sounded as horrible as these symphonic instruments as they were being tuned. Therefore, He greatly desired to bring us into "tune" so we would be able to flow in harmony with Him.

Then the scene changed and the Lord began to express to us the perplexity of His heart. In His infinite knowledge, He knew that there were some instruments which were so badly out of tune that it would take a great deal of tension to bring them up to pitch. Also, He knew that if too much pressure was applied, the string might snap and that instrument would need to be set aside.

Then came a revelation of the broken heart of the Lord, knowing that the instrument might say, "If I have to submit to all this pressure, I wil l quit." If we are to go on to be identified with Him, we must come to the place where we will allow Him to put His finger on our lives and deal with this Law of Self-preservation that is within each one of us. We must come, as Job did, to this commitment by saying with him, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." We must allow Him to tune our lives, no matter what it takes, or how much pressure is needed to bring us into pitch.

The Lord greatly desires to bring forth a melody from within His Bride as He plays upon the strings of her heart. To accomplish this, He has reached into the very foundation of her being and, with her permission, removed all that could hinder their relationship, or provoke her to turn aside to another. As He gently brings the totality of her being into tune, her life becomes this expression of beautiful music to Him, and to all who are around her.

The totality of all her hopes, visions, and desires have found their place in Him. Her life is ready to be merged into Him, and into His higher purposes. She has truly become one with Him. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready" Rev 19:7.

The Lord greatly desires that we also, with a single eye, respond to His presence as He visits us. It is His intention to bring forth from within us the same harmony that His Bride was brought to, as He worked upon the strings of her heart. He is waiting, in anticipation, to hear the expression of our willingness to be brought into complete harmony with His purposes.

Then He will be able to say to us also, "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."