Editorial – November 2026

Being ready to go! – ‘come away’, S. of S. 2. 10, 11

The call of the Bridegroom has long stirred the hearts of believers. It is tender language, rich imagery, and an unmistakably personal appeal, ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away’. While the passage speaks poetically of the Bridegroom drawing His bride into renewed fellowship, there is in it a prophetic echo that has encouraged saints down through the centuries. The voice that calls the bride out of winter’s gloom into the brightness of His presence anticipates another call — one that will gather all His redeemed to Himself at His coming, 1 Thess. 4. 16.

It is the Bridegroom’s call. It is the moment when love, long anticipated, becomes sight. The imagery in the Song of Songs — the call to rise, the ending of winter — beautifully aligns with the believer’s hope of the rapture. It is the call that lifts us from earth’s shadows into the full brightness of His presence.

In that light, our readiness to go becomes a searching matter for each of us. Are we ready to go? We are not speaking here of salvation, for that is the necessary prerequisite to belonging to the company described as ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife’, Rev. 21. 9. Rather, we are considering the state of our affections, so that when the call comes, we do not meet it with reluctance, shame, or regret.

The rapture will be sudden, but readiness for it should be the object of our daily living in this world. It should be seen in our affections, in our obedience, and in the loosening of our hearts from a world that sleeps on the edge of judgement, 1 Thess. 5. 6.

Undoubtedly, we are going to a place where the storms of winter are past and where the heavy rain showers are over and gone; but the searching question remains — are we ready to go?

What makes us ready to go? The bride in the Song rises because she loves the one who calls her. She is drawn by His presence more than held by her surroundings. Are our affections centred in the Lord Jesus? Are we listening, longing, and willing to rise when He calls?

Readiness also requires a loose grip on earthly things. A believer ready to go is not entangled in this world, absorbed with this world, or anchored to this world, but lives lightly enough to leave at any moment.

Further, Paul could say, ‘I am ready to depart’, because he had served faithfully, declared the whole counsel of God, and left nothing undone. A Christian ready to go is one who keeps short accounts with God – sins confessed, relationships tended, and duties fulfilled.

We live in dark and difficult days. The pressures of life, the noise of the world, and the subtle pull of earthly things can easily dull the believer’s hope. Yet the early Christians encouraged one another with a single word: Maranatha – our Lord comes. It was not a slogan, but a settled expectation. It belonged to hearts that were ready to rise when He called.

So, the challenge comes to us with weight: Can we truly say ‘Maranatha’ to one another? Are we ready – genuinely ready – to go?

Once again, we warmly appreciate the work that has gone into each article and thank all the writers who have contributed with care and conviction. Their ministry reminds us that the resources entrusted to us are not ours to hold loosely for ourselves, but to use faithfully for the Lord.

Sandy Jack Ministry Articles Editor