Like Flowers Before Thee

Joyful, Joyful, we adore Thee
God of glory, Lord of love.
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
Opening to the Sun above.

I chose the picture above because the flowers haven't blossomed yet. I like to imagine them unfolding. For me it's so much better that way than actually having a picture of flowers.

I was sitting on watch today in my morning fog and heard the girl next to me singing this verse from Joyful, Joyful to herself. She wasn't singing it really fast but really slow which is how I like it. I felt my heart open all of the sudden and I started singing it to myself. I love that image of hearts unfolding like flowers before God and Him shining down on them with these unimaginably beautiful rays of sunlight. I sang to myself for an hour or so, letting my heart soak in the words. I find my heart needs this sometimes when it's distracted or calloused. Often, I'll just focus on one or two lines until they come to life in my heart, like the last line of the verse...

Giver of immortal gladness
Fill us with the light of day.

As someone who feels melancholy a lot of the time, it's refreshing to imagine immortal gladness filling my heart like light. All the other lights go out. His is always left shining.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I'm thankful for mornings when the Spirit comes like a breeze on the porch, making the wind chimes softly play out the tune to some hymn. And my heart is like those flowers in the picture above until His Spirit comes. Then a miracle happens and they unfold and I start singing.