His Banner Over Me is Love…Anniversary Edition

Back in the mid 80’s (the most awesome decade of all)…

I attended a very simple Christian teen youth camp. There was no modern worship band, no big-name speakers, and no AC.

The camp, located in Yampertown, AL, is now known as Trinity camp. It was here, around one of those campfires where the Spirit was moving like crazy, that I first remember hearing the simple chorus, “His Banner Over Me is Love”.

I remember thinking it was such an awesome thing to visualize…God’s love is like a flag unfurling over my head. It represented security, protection, identity, and an unfailing love.

In the mid-East during Old Testament times, a nation’s flag meant much the same thing. Imagine war-weary soldiers looking up and seeing their national flag flying. It provided a focal point for hope and re-energized their purpose in the midst of the battle.

So today is my wedding anniversary…30 years.

Can I call all 30 years blissful, amazing, perfect?  Nope, not with a straight face anyway.

But what I can say is this – through all 30 years, my man’s banner over me has been love. And when you take the verse from Song of Solomon 2:4 in context, it was the Shulamite bride describing her beloved, Solomon.

The Shulamite bride describes her groom as an apple tree, providing shade and nourishment. And then, he did something that absolutely made this young lady swoon!

Solomon brought his love into a banqueting hall, a very public proclamation that she was his love. It was not meant to be a sign of “ownership”, but rather, a sign of delight in his bride. He was proud of her.

And then…Are you ready for this ladies?

Solomon displayed his banner over her. He did this for all the same reasons I stated above: identity, security, protection, and hope. This public proclamation of love totally had this bride blushing.

When husbands do “husbanding” right, there is an invisible banner over his wife’s head that declares: She’s mine, I love her, I’m proud of her, and I promise to do everything in my power to protect her. Now that is some authority with which I can get in a very straight line behind. It makes that submitting thing so much easier when his banner over me is love (see Ephesians 5:22).

So during these 30 years, there have been times I have disagreed with my beloved, maybe I wanted to pinch his head off, or could hardly stay in a room with him for whatever reason (and I guess maybe he has felt this way at times too). But because I knew I had the invisible banner of his love over me, I stayed. Not only stayed, but I have grown to trust his banner more and more. He has my best interest at heart.

Focus on the banner!

In married life, as with any other part of life, we can choose our focus. If we choose to focus on the negative and what our spouse “is not”, then we will likely not have rich, meaningful relationships. In fact, this kind of marriage may not last. However, if we choose to focus on the banner of God’s love over both of us, our hope is renewed and our relationship is re-energized. If we stay in line with God’s authority, then the home is also in line with the biblical plan of authority. Husbands will love their wives as Christ loves the church. When this is the case, we can trust our husband’s banner of love.