最近，朱莉開始在每日靈修時，吟唱聖經的經文。她說：「每當我吟唱時，我的心和思想就開始遵行並相信我所唱的經文！」朱莉希望藉著吟唱上帝的話語，讓上帝的真理幫助她，以不同的眼光看待自己的不完美之處，比如她的聲音和身高。

她說：「我開始唱雅歌1章5節：『我雖然黑，卻是秀美。』」（在古代的農業社會中，人們普遍認為被太陽曬黑的女子並不美麗。）當她用詩歌吟唱這節經文時，上帝改變了她的想法。她突然明白：「儘管我不完美，但上帝仍然愛我。」

朱莉吟唱的是舊約智慧文學中一首優美的詩歌。有些人認為，雅歌的內容是象徵上帝對祂子民的愛，但更多人認為，這卷書是頌讚婚姻愛情。當我們見證夫妻彼此委身的美好時，我們可以這樣回應：「我們必因你歡喜快樂。我們要稱讚你的愛情，勝似稱讚美酒。」（4節）

不管我們如何解讀這些古老的文字，我們都可以跟朱莉一樣確信，上帝喜悅祂所揀選的子民。正如上帝說：「我看你為寶為尊；……我愛你。」（以賽亞書43章4節）

For her daily devotions, Julie began singing the Scriptures. “As I sang, my heart and mind actually began to do and believe what I was singing about!” Through vocalizing God’s Word in song, Julie wanted His truth to shed light on the things she disliked about herself, such as her voice and her height.

She said, “I began to sing from Song of Solomon 1:5: ‘Dark I am, yet lovely.’ ” (In that agrarian culture, a woman tanned by the sun wasn’t seen as beautiful.)  As Julie sang the Scripture passage, God changed her thoughts. Suddenly she understood: “God loves me even though I am not perfect.”

Julie sang from a beautiful poem found in the Old Testament’s Wisdom Literature. Some people interpret the Song of Songs as an allegory of God’s love for His people, but many view it as a celebration of marital love. In witnessing the beauty of the couple’s commitment to each other, we can echo the friends’ words: “We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine” (v. 4).

However we interpret these ancient words, we can affirm with Julie that God revels in His chosen people. As He says elsewhere in the Old Testament: “You are precious and honored in my sight, and . . . I love you” (Isaiah 43:4).