May 1

Morning

His cheeks are like beds of spice, towers of perfume. His lips are like lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh. — Song 5:13 BSB

Lo, the flowery month has come! March winds and April showers have done their work, and now the earth is adorned in beauty. Come, my soul, put on your festive attire and step out to gather garlands of heavenly thoughts. You know where to go, for “the beds of spices” are familiar to you, and you have often inhaled the fragrance of “the sweet flowers.” Go quickly to your Beloved, and there you will find all loveliness and joy in Him. That face, once struck with a rod, often wet with tears of compassion, and then marred by spittle—that face, now smiling with mercy, is like the sweetest perfume to my heart.

You did not hide Your face from shame and disgrace, O Lord Jesus, and therefore I find my greatest joy in praising You. Your cheeks, furrowed with sorrow and crimsoned with the blood from Your thorn-crowned brow, are signs of boundless love that captivate my soul far more than “pillars of perfume.” Even if I cannot see Your full face, I would gaze upon Your cheeks, for even the smallest glimpse of You refreshes my spirit and brings many delights. In Jesus, I find not just fragrance but a bed of spices; not just one flower, but all kinds of sweet flowers. He is my rose and my lily, my heart’s ease and my cluster of camphire. When He is with me, it is May all year round, and my soul goes out to bathe in the morning dew of His grace and to delight in the songs of the birds of His promises. Precious Lord Jesus, let me truly experience the blessedness of abiding in unbroken fellowship with You. I am but a poor, unworthy soul, yet You have kissed my cheek! Oh, let me return Your love with kisses of devotion and praise.

Evening

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley. — Song 2:1 BSB

Whatever beauty exists in the material world, Jesus Christ possesses all that and more in the spiritual world, in a far greater degree. Among flowers, the rose is considered the most beautiful, but Jesus is infinitely more beautiful in the garden of the soul than any rose in the gardens of the earth. He surpasses all others, the fairest among ten thousand. He is the sun, and all others are but stars; compared to Him, the heavens and the day seem dark, for the King in His beauty outshines them all.

“I am the Rose of Sharon.” This was the finest and rarest of roses. Jesus is not just “the rose,” He is “the Rose of Sharon.” Just as He calls His righteousness “gold” and adds, “the gold of Ophir,” meaning the best of the best, so too is He positively lovely, and beyond compare in His loveliness.

There is a variety in His beauty. The rose is pleasing to the eye and its scent refreshing; so too, every sense of the soul—whether it be taste, touch, hearing, sight, or spiritual scent—finds fulfillment in Jesus. Even the memory of His love is sweet. Take the Rose of Sharon, pull its petals one by one, and store them in the jar of your memory. You will find each petal fragrant long afterward, filling your heart with the perfume of His love.

Christ satisfies the highest longings of even the most mature and discerning soul. The greatest connoisseur of spiritual delights is completely satisfied with Jesus. The more a soul grows in true spiritual taste, the better it can appreciate Him. Even heaven itself offers nothing that surpasses the beauty of the Rose of Sharon. What earthly emblem can fully capture His beauty? Human words and worldly things fall short in describing Him. Even earth’s most precious treasures combined can only give a faint picture of His surpassing worth. Blessed Rose, bloom in my heart forever!