Way off in the distance,
She sees the mountain of myrrh.
She knows that her Beloved
Has already journeyed there and reached his destination.
Now she has to travel there her own way,
On her own path, in her own day.
She must encounter her own obstacles,
Climb cliffs of rejection and betrayal.
She must remain steady and endure until the end.
He has already warned her:
“This way is narrow. This road is lonely.
This path is marked with suffering.”
But she remembers that the warning also has a promise.
She reminds herself of it day after day
When she wants to quit and the road seems too long.
He told her that her heart is like myrrh:
The process of testing and suffering
Will crush the myrrh but cannot destroy it.
Instead, myrrh that is crushed
Releases the sweetest scent of all.
He promised, “If you come here, if you join Me
On the mountain of myrrh,
You will find yourself dizzy by the fragrance in the air.
We’ll share a breath-taking view together
That can’t be described in the lowlands.
It’s so high, so deep, and so wide
You can’t believe it until you see it for yourself.”
So she continues on her way,
Through the years and through the myriad of choices.
In the dark night of her soul when her faith is tested,
Each submission of her will, though imperfect
And weak, still releases
A tiny scent of suffering.
And like a homing device,
This bundle of myrrh worn next to her heart
Entices Him to leap over the mountains to find her.
Look! Here He comes!
Copyright © 2/28/04 by Kendra Lane Barrow. All rights reserved.
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Song of Solomon 4:6 (New King James Version)
6 Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.
Isaiah 53:3, 10 (New Living Translation)
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our
backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not
care. 10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him…
Philippians 3:10 (New International Version)
10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the
fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…
Song of Solomon 2:8 (The Message)
8-10 Look! Listen! There's my lover!
Do you see him coming?
Vaulting the mountains,
leaping the hills.
Additional Scriptures: Psalms 45:8, Song of Solomon 3:6, Hebrews 2:18, 1 Peter 4:12-13, and Song of Solomon 1:12-13.
I am the candle that is burning;
I am the myrrh that has been crushed.
The very flame of God
Has torched my impurities:
My selfishness, my pride,
My domineering spirit,
My wants, my needs.
Beautiful Flame, come and burn away
All in my life that’s less than glory.
Remove the impure so that
Only love remains;
Diminish the scent of my will
So that only the fragrance of myrrh remains.
Copyright © 3/16/04 by Kendra Lane Barrow. All rights reserved.
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Galatians 5:24 (New Living Translation)
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and
desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Song of Solomon 8:6 (New International Version)
[Love] burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Matthew 26:39 (New King James Version)
39 …[Jesus] prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this
cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Now the box of perfume is broken.
Let my fragrance rise to You.
May the scent of my longing
Fill this room and then ascend beyond,
Surrounding You in the heavenly places.
My praise is poured out before You like
Precious oil trickling through Your fingers.
Perfume is not made to be contained—
Your open hands allow
The scent of my love to ripen,
Like long awaited fruit.
The tender look on Your face,
Your long breath inward, and
Your pleased smile at my gift
Has made the breaking worthwhile.
Copyright © 4/05/03 by Kendra Lane Barrow. All rights reserved.
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John 12:3 (New Living Translation)
3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from
essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet
with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.
Song of Solomon 4:10, 13, 16 (New International Version)
[The King]
10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!
13 Your [garden has] myrrh and aloes
and all the finest spices.
Beloved
16 Awake, north wind,
and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread abroad…
Revelation 5:8 (Amplified Bible)
8And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves
before the Lamb. Each was holding a harp (lute or guitar), and they had
golden bowls full of incense (fragrant spices and gums for burning),
which are the prayers of God's people (the saints).