I remembered the scene of hundreds of thousands of padlocks, many engraved with the initials of sweethearts attached to both sides of bridge truss of the Pont des Arts bridge across the Seine River in Paris when I was there back in 2011. In 2014, these love locks were estimated to weigh a staggering fifty tons and had even caused a portion of the bridge to collapse, and was necessary to remove these locks.
The presence of so many love locks demonstrates that human beings desire a deep longing for assurance of security of love. In Song of Songs, an Old Testament book that depicts a dialogue between two lovers, the woman expresses her desire for secure love by asking her beloved to “place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm” (Song of songs 8:6). Her longing was to be as safe and secure in his love as a seal impressed on his heart or a ring on his finger.
The longing for enduring romantic love expressed in Song of Songs points us to (Ephesians1:13) that we are marked with the “seal” of God’s Spirit. While human love can be inconsistent while Christ’s Spirit living in us is a permanent seal demonstrating God’s never-ending, committed love for each of His children. The security of human love often remains elusive, Your love for me is strong, steadfast, and eternal.