The great Welsh 18th century hymn writer Anne Griffiths encountered Jesus just after she had been abandoned by her beloved fiancé. She had a vision of Him in a grove of trees and wrote the hymn “See Him Standing Amongst the Myrtles,” referring to the above verse. The myrtle trees to some indicate mourning but also, because they grew in profusion around Jerusalem, were taken as a symbol of hope. So, for Anne, Jesus was the symbol of Hope appearing to her in her sorrowful state, a hope which could never be dashed. The hymn sings of gratitude to the Lord and is full of tender names for Jesus such as “Rose of Sharon” (Song of Solomon 2:2). Jesus was the Great Unfailing Lover who stood by Anne Griffiths when her human beloved disappointed her. He was the “altogether lovely one,” her Consolation and her Great Hope.


The Lord sometimes allows our earthly hopes to be grievously dashed to bring us to see Him as our everlasting hope and our unfailing fountain of love. We, also, see Him standing amongst the myrtles.