“While the king was at his table, my spikenard gave forth its fragrance.”
— Song of Songs 1:12
We thank the Lord that He works in us and breaks us. We are no longer what we were before. We are no longer those who were merely zealous for the Lord and who just wanted to have the Lord for our own enjoyment. Now we have a little “scar” from His work upon us. The Lord has worked a little and changed us. We give forth a fragrance from this scar, and our being is changed. What the Lord appreciates is this fragrance. It is not enough just to give something to the Lord and labor for Him. We also need to be dealt with by the Lord. Only as we are broken can this wonderful life flow out from us. Only then can our spikenard give forth its fragrance. This fragrance satisfies not only the saints but also the King who is at His table.
However, we need to remember that it was the believer and not the Lord who said this. A person who is just beginning to learn the lessons of the cross has only been dealt with by the Lord to a certain extent. Although her spikenard gives forth its fragrance, it is not yet the full fragrance. Furthermore, although the king is the object of the fragrance, the Shulammite hasn’t yet forgotten about herself. She is not yet lost in the Lord.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 155-156.
Tomorrow: “My Beloved is to Me a Bundle of Myrrh”