There are many names by which the Lord calls us, but by the name of "Garden" we learn much about how the Lord thinks and feels about us. 

The souls of saints are the Garden of the Lord. They are sweet and beautiful to His mind. He sees in them the fruit of His travail and is satisfied. He delights to walk among them, to talk with them, and eat with them. They are a Garden, enclosed -- Enclosed by the Father's election,
enclosed by the Son's intercession and
enclosed by the Holy Spirit's effectual work of regeneration and sanctification. These are the bands of love that drew us, called us unto Himself and separated us from the world (Hos. 11:4). 

It is because of this enclosure that we bear fruit (Hos. 14:8, Isa. 57:19). Adam was holy, yet he fell because there was no enclosure around him, no wall to keep Satan out. 

This Garden will always grow because there is a spring in it, a fountain sealed. The Lord, Himself, waters it every moment and keeps it night and day (Isa. 27:3, Jn. 4:14, Eph. 1:13). In this Garden are plants and trees that produce sweet and delicious fruit. Their fragrance is very delightful, and all are useful and medicinal. These are the "trees of righteousness" planted by the Lord (Isa. 61:3). 

The Lord, Himself, feeds on the fruit from this Garden (S.O.S. 2:16-17, 6:2). These beautiful Gardens are where the harts (or deer) love to feed. Wherever the hart wanders, his instinct leads him back to his feeding ground. This is the place of his strongest desire, a place where he loves to feed, to linger and to rest. 

Think of this the next time you are in a very difficult situation. Say to yourself, "Here is an opportunity for me to feed my Lord as He feeds me." What a glorious thought! You will discover that your trees will produce much more fruit, and it will be very sweet. 

Let us pray the same prayer that Solomon's bride prayed (S.O.S. 4:16). In doing this we will be asking the Holy Spirit to produce in us His fruit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self- restraint. We will be saying, "It doesn't matter if it is a north wind - cold, bitter and sometimes killing, or a south wind, warm and gentle, if only we can feed our Lord as He feeds us. Both winds are necessary to produce sweet and delicious fruit. 

Oh, may we thank the Lord always for this blessed privilege, because it has been given to us not only to believe, but to suffer for His sake (Phil. 1:29).