“I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk.”
—Song of Songs 5:1 

Reflection

There are times when the winds of suffering blow across our lives. Yet receiving from the Spirit in those times can cause a greater sense of God’s presence and power to flow from us. Scripture tells us that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and His nearness can be felt by us and even by others near us. Clinging to God in our sufferings produces a fragrance pleasing to Christ.

In Song of Songs 4:16, the maiden cries out, ‘May my beloved come into his garden and eat its choice fruits.’ This is a woman who exists for her husband. Something has shifted in her heart. She is no longer living primarily for herself. She is becoming His.

The Bridegroom recognizes this change. In Song of Songs 5:1, He repeatedly uses the word my: my garden, my sister, my bride, my myrrh, my balsam, my honeycomb, my honey, my wine, my milk. She had become His possession.

Like all of us who believe, she started her journey with a high degree of self-centeredness. In the initial stages of relationship with Jesus, we often use Him and relate to Him very immaturely. We ask Him to answer our prayers, lead us, bless us, and provide for us. Those are all good things to ask Him for, and He delights in supplying our needs.

But when we move into maturity, our relationship with Him shifts. We no longer see Him as existing only for our good. Rather, we come to understand that we exist primarily for His pleasure. Mature believers live for Yeshua, not just for what He does for them.

The King detects this shift in the heart and speaks more possessively: You are my sister, my garden, my bride. Now He is getting from her that which He desired.

And then something beautiful happens. He invites others to eat and drink deeply. When we walk in mature love with Messiah Jesus, we embody Him. His presence, love, goodness, and beauty flow through our lives so that others can receive from Him through us.

When you go to social gatherings or family events, the life of Yeshua can waft from you like a fragrance. Others can partake of Messiah Jesus through the lives of submitted, mature believers.

This is the fruit of belonging to Him.

Application

• Ask the Lord whether your relationship with Him is centered mostly on what He can do for you, or whether your heart is increasingly living for His pleasure.
• In seasons of suffering, cling to God and allow His presence to produce a fragrance through your life that others can receive.

Prayer

Father, I want to belong fully to You. Bring me beyond living only for what You can do for me, and teach me to live for Your pleasure. In times of suffering, help me cling to You and receive from Your Spirit. Let the presence, love, goodness, and beauty of Yeshua flow through my life like a fragrance. Make me a submitted and mature believer through whom others can receive Your presence. In Yeshua’s name, amen.