The Time of the Singing of Birds is Come
"My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." Song of Solomon 2:12 AMP
"To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1 AMP
Spring has arrived! The time of the singing of birds is come! It is a season of glory. The time when the earth begins to waken from its long, winter's nap. Crocus, daffodils, other early risers in the flower family are peeking through the dirt and showing their faces. Calves are arriving daily. They love to run and jump through the pastures. Every where I look, the season has changed. Well, everywhere except one place.
In the middle of the cedar trees there are still drifts of snow approx. four feet high. Just think how deep those drifts must have been if after several days of 70 plus degree weather they are still so tall. I can't help but wonder about myself. What about me? Are there hidden places in my heart where the icy snows still remain? Even though winter has past and the birds are singing, are portions still frozen cold? The Lord has been leading me through a new season. He has been exposing those frozen mounds of snow left over from winter's fury. One by one each spot of my heart covered with the icy coldness of self and sin melts under the loving rays of the Savior's Love.
God's goodness continually overwhelms any traces of frosty fury, and I'm learning to stop, sit, and soak in the penetrating warmth of God's loving presence. How do seeds grow? They are planted in soil. The sun shines down on them, the rain waters them, and they sprout up into a plant. That is how the Word of God grows in me too. It gets planted in my heart, the Son's love shines on it, and the presence of the Holy Spirit waters it, and it sprouts up to bear Godly fruit.
"Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruits in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]." Psalm 1:1-3 AMP
I'm so thankful that the Time of the Singing of Birds has come to the earth and to my heart. Not only is the Lord melting away the coldness, but He is softening the hard places in the soil of my heart with the runoff from the melting snow. How I long to be everything He created me to be. How I delight in the sound of His voice as He calls out for me to "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Verse 14-15 of S of S chapter two bless me so much as I read His words to me "[So I went with him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me] O my dove, [while you are here] in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. [My heart was touched and I fervently sang to him my desire] Take for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards [of our love], for our vineyards are in blossom." Verse 16 "[She said distinctly] My beloved is mine and I am his!..."
Jesus longs for me to rise up, and come away with Him into the secret place of His presence. He longs to hear my voice, He finds it sweet and my face is lovely to Him. Those little foxes that would spoil the vineyard of our love must be taken away. Our vineyards are in blossom. It's spring time on the earth. Is the vineyard of Love between you and the Lord in blossom? I pray that just as springtime is arriving upon the earth, it is warming all of our hearts. That the vineyards of the Savior's love are in blossom, and that we are fervently singing our desire to Him. May He be our fervent desire. May we delight in Him as He delights in us. Oh, that His voice would be sweet to us and His face lovely so that we too will say "My beloved is mine and I am his!"