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May 29 Daily Devotional

Come, O Spirit!

Frans Bakker

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. —Song of Solomon 4:16

Bible Reading

Song of Solomon 4:12–16

Devotional

“Awake, O north wind.” In this prayer the church longs for the work of the Holy Spirit. In Scripture the work of the Spirit is often compared to the wind. When the Spirit came at Pentecost, there was the sound as of a rushing wind. “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out.” When the church asks for the wind to blow on her garden, this request implies that the church lies in the midst of death. No fruit can grow in her garden without the wind of the Spirit. The cold north wind is needed to rouse the church from its sleep of death and the warm south wind is needed to make the fruit sprout forth and grow.

At one time the Bridegroom had praised the garden for its delicious fruit. But the wind stopped blowing and therefore everything is withering. Nothing will flourish if the wind of the Spirit does not blow through the garden again. In itself, God’s church will always remain poor and needy. Whatever wonderful fruit grows on the tree will wither apart from the continual work of the Spirit. Who can revive the life of grace but the Spirit of God?

The bride, the church of Christ, realizes that there can be no fruit in her life apart from the wind of the Spirit. This awareness leads her to her inner chamber where she must receive what she cannot give herself. It is a blessing that she cannot continue without the Spirit of Christ. In her barren condition she prays through the Spirit for the Spirit to come. When the work of the Spirit does not come to fruition in her soul, she is concerned that the Spirit’s work does not exist.

The bride’s unfruitfulness makes her suspect herself and question whether she ever had any genuine fruit. Wavering and weary, she descends into a distressing position where she ought not to be.

The bride’s prayer is truly genuine, because the request is not only for the south wind, but also and foremost for the north wind to come. It is, therefore, a petition that does not spare pain, for the north wind is not pleasant. The north wind is painful for the flesh. Its work is to cleanse, uncover, cut, convict, and judge. This prayer, therefore, goes against all flesh. Yet, those who are spiritually alive learn to pray this way, because the work of God’s dear Spirit is so precious to them that they are willing to relinquish themselves. This is the effect of the north wind of God’s law, but also of the south wind of the gospel. The two cannot be separated. It is always guilt that leads to the cry for grace. And it is the Spirit who leads to an awareness of guilt which in turn leads to an awareness of grace. This is a miracle for those who think they will perish from the effects of the north wind, for then life is revived in the dry and dead bones. God’s Spirit causes fruit to grow. The spices will then flow out to the glory of God. Let the church realize, however, that this is not because of anything she contributes. Such an acknowledgment glorifies God.

It may be that you have just celebrated Pentecost and experienced much of the work of God’s Spirit. But let God’s church remain honest in acknowledging her poverty apart from God. Otherwise she will grieve the Spirit of God and she will have to live with withered fruits. As long as the church is on earth she will never outgrow the prayer for the north wind and the south wind to blow in her garden.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.

 

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