Summer Promise

Psalm 45
A Wedding Song of the Sons of Korah (The Message paraphrase by Eugene Peterson)

My heart bursts its banks
spilling beauty and goodness
I pour out in a poem to the king,
shaping the river into words:

"You're the handsomest of men;
every word from your lips is sheer grace,
and God has blessed you, blessed you so much.
Strap your sword to you side, warrior!
Accept praise! Accept due honor!
Ride majestically! Ride triumphantly!
Ride of the side of truth!
Ride for the righteous meek!

"Your instructions are glow-in-the-dark;
you shoot sharp arrows
Into enemy hearts: the king's
foes live down in the dust, beaten.

"Your throne is God's throne
ever and always:
The sceptre of your royal rule
measures right living.
You love the right
and hate the wrong.
And that is why God, your very own God,
poured fragrant oil on your head,
Marking you as king
from among your dear companions.

Your ozone-drenched garments
are fragrant with mountain breeze.
Chamber music--- from the throne room---
makes you want to dance.
King's daughters are maids in your court,
the Bride glittering with golden jewelry.

Now listen daughter don't miss a word:
forget your country put your home behind you.
Be here---the king is wild for you.
Since he's your lord, adore him.
Wedding gifts pour in from Tyre:
rich guests shower you with presents."

(Her wedding dress is dazzling,
lined with gold by the weavers;
All her dresses and robes
are woven with gold.
She is led to the king,
followed by her virgin companions.
A procession of joy and laughter!
a grand entrance of the king's palace!)

Set your mind now on sons---
don't dote on father and grandfather.
You'll set your sons up as princes
all over the earth.
I will make you famous for generations;
you'll be the talk of the town
for a long, long time."



This was a passage given to me this spring by an urban monk I highly respect. I was so sure I knew what it meant then. It is actually a Messianic psalm quoted in the New Testament, applying to Jesus Christ. The meaning is I was meant to find the quill pen in my hand and write about my King. I took it to mean that I, like the bride of the king in this poem, would be getting married imminently, to the man I was just getting reacquainted with at the time this was prayed for me. She said I would burst into bloom and that it would be like that tea where the flower blooms in your cup as you sip it. I would have a garden of my own and it would be a place of blessing and renewal.

I know see I have grown closer to Jesus through all these trials and tribulations. I am part of the bride of Christ, glittering in her wedding gown and waiting expectantly for her groom to step forth.





Among the Lilies
by Suzanne den Boer



When I awakened in the garden.
I was shocked by your power and sheer exuberance
My lips dripped honey; your arms were oak trees
My own vineyard I had neglected.
I never thought I would hear Rachel weeping again
For the children that are no more
The lost ones, the ones ripped out of her womb
The ones never born, while Leah rejoiced



But Rachel was weeping, and I wept too
Where are the children of my dreams?
Those little towheaded rascals?
Those fairy princesses so ethereal
And fair, their curls a garland?
These children are only dreams
This man is a vision of something
I once wanted so badly.



I said good bye to this garden,
To the scholar whose portrait hangs here.
My dreams were mixed as if by a painter
My tapestry was torn in your hands
The weaving unravelling and the flowers
fading: These are the wounds I received
At the house of my friends.
I weep now for the scholar,
For my faded dreams and the
beautiful landscape we once knew.




If you tap commandingly at my window,
I would welcome you as a friend.
And we would sup together.
I love you and so I release you
Like a dove to fly away into the wide,
wide, world.... You must go,
And find your way into the embrace
Of your own calling and your own
dusty path.... bring your sandals,
Not your blue suede shoes.
Please tell me that is a sprig of green
underneath your feet!