Daily devotional · March 21
Winter Is Past
“My beloved calls to me, “Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one. For now the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in the countryside; the season of singing has come, and the cooing of turtledoves is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come away, my darling; come away with me, my beautiful one.””
In this poem the beloved calls out: arise, come away, for winter is past, the rains are over, flowers appear on the earth and the song of the turtledove is heard. Fig trees ripen, vines blossom. It is a picture of love awakening in spring, and the Bible unapologetically celebrates it. Christian readers have long heard in this poetry both the joy of human love and, in a deeper sense, the delight God takes in his people. Whether or not the season where you live matches this poem, its message is worth hearing: seasons of dormancy do end. Something in you may be ready to stir. Today, go outside if you can, and notice one sign of life around you, a bud, a bird, a patch of sun. Let it remind you that God delights in renewal, and ask him what in your life is ready to bloom.
Prayer
Lord of every season, thank You that winters end. Help me bloom where You plant me. Amen.