To the Lord we’re as a garden

1
To the Lord we’re as a garden,
  Out from which the spices flow;
All the precious fruits of Jesus
  Freely in this garden grow.
    Spikenard, saffron, henna flower,
    Cinnamon and calamus,
    Frankincense and myrrh and aloes;
    O Lord, we would ever grow Thee thus.
2
O Lord, come into Thy garden,
  Come, Beloved, come and eat
Freely for Thy satisfaction
  Of Thy fruit, abundant, sweet.
    “Yea,” Thou answerest, “I am eating
    Honeycomb with honey pure.”
    All sweet spices from Thy garden,
    Doth Thy satisfaction, Lord, secure.
3
All the produce of the garden
  Is with resurrection filled
That the Lord may have a city,
  Fruits of resurrection build.
    From the garden to the city,
    Growth transformed to precious stone;
    Christ is thus expressed, reflected—
    God in all His glory fully shown.
4
Now the city, fair and comely,
  As the dawn, triumphantly,
Is an army strong and mighty
  Marching forth in victory.
    Lo, the city and the army—
    Saints transformed in one accord.
    What a terror to the devil,
    And so beautiful unto the Lord!
2
Joanna Smathers

Baton Rouge, LA, United States

Lord grow the spices and unfurl the banners today.


Lily

Richmond, VA, United States

To love the Lord Jesus does not mean to work for Him. Working for Him means nothing to the Lord Jesus. If you do not believe this today, some day you will believe it. But that day will be too late. It is not that we work for Him but that He works on us. We must not be merely His workers but His work (Eph. 2:10). We must take in the Lord so that He may perfume us and transform us. Then we will progress from one figure to another and will arrive at the stage of the palanquin and the crown. But we still need to go on to the garden and the city. May the Lord be merciful to us and take us all the way! Life and building are the two main items of the Lord’s recovery. This is why we must attain to the garden and the city.

May the Lord be merciful to us and take us all the way!

From the book: Life and Building as portrayed in the Song of Songs, ch. 8, section 5.

Piano Hymns