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and affliction. She said, “I’m his garden; north wind come blow
on the garden.” She’s not only asking the north wind but she’s
begging the north wind. Then she thinks about it and she says,
“Wake up south wind.” The south wind is prosperity and
blessing. It’s health and it’s goodness. Here is the bride’s
disposition. She said, “I’m his garden. I don’t care if it’s the
north wind or the south wind. It’s whatever pleases him.” That
becomes the disposition. It doesn’t matter if it’s the north wind
or the south wind. If he’s happy, blow on my garden.
This is more than resignation. She’s not just accepting
the north wind. She’s inviting the north wind to blow. She
desires whatever will please him. The disposition is that it
doesn’t matter. If there’s no blowing, there’s no flowing. As
the indispensable condition is childlikeness, the indispensable
disposition is absolute surrender.
What is the goal of all of this? John 12:20&21, “Now
there were certain Greeks among those who were going up to
worship at the feast; these therefore came to Philip, who was
from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, ‘Sir,
we wish to see Jesus.’” First there’s childlikeness, then there’s
surrender and now is the redemptive part. The Greeks came to
Philip and said, “We want to see Jesus.” Was it curiosity? Why
did they come? Did they come to argue? We don’t know. Were
they really seeking the Lord? Perhaps. The only thing God
calls attention to is the response of Jesus. When you look at it
with our physical eyes it looks like He ignored them. He never
went out to talk to them. He only talked to the disciples. Jesus
explained to the disciples about redemptive living.
John 12:27&28, “’Now My soul has become troubled;
and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for
this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.’
There came therefore a voice out of heaven, ‘I have both
glorified it. And will glorify it again.’” Jesus always talked
about the cross as His “hour”. He said that My hour has not yet
come. He always thought about the hour. But in this prayer He
said, “My soul is troubled. What shall I say? Deliver Me from