Category: In the Garden

In the Garden – Entry #2 of 2

I reviewed the first verse and the chorus in the first Blog entry for this song and will do an analysis of the remaining two verses in this entry to close out this song.

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing
I’d stay in the garden with Him
‘Tho the night around me be falling
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling

Have you ever thought about the earthly voice of Jesus during the short time he walked the earth? Was his voice soft, was it booming, do he come across as a king, did it command attention? I know that many times in my life, I probably need it to be booming and harsh as I frequently don’t do the things I should be doing or trusting in him as I should. I believe he had a voice that made people want to listen, a voice that oozed compassion, and commanded attention without being loud or harsh. We do know he did not mince words when delivering his message, but I believe he did it in such a way that people listened and understood as opposed to getting upset and being offended.

How many times have you been outside and heard the birds singing and enjoying themselves as they flitted from branch to branch? I love to watch the birds and listen to them chirp and sing, it is such a peaceful environment which seems to block out many distractions as I get absorbed by the tranquility they bring. I can remember my mom and dad sitting in their recliners looking out at the birds as they flew in and out of the bird feeder. There always seemed to be birds singing while awaiting their turn to eat. Mom and dad always made sure there was a feeder close to the window so they could see and hear the birds. The birds can almost be hypnotizing at times when the setting is just right. Yet the sound of Jesus’ voice is so comforting and welcoming that even the birds stop to listen. I think this is the type of voice we hear as we escape to our garden and just stop and listen. His voice reaches us in times of tranquility as well as times of chaos, all we have to do is listen.

Are you aware that Jesus gave each of us a melody? A melody in a song is basically the tune, sort of the path we take from the beginning to the end of the song and verse to verse. I think Christ created a unique tune for each of us, since although we are his children; we are all different in some way. I do not believe our melody is a song with words, it is more a continuous feeling of love, peace, and joy that resonates in our soul. The song is always playing in our hearts, it is up to us to stop and listen. Don’t let the evils of our society, constant bad news reports, and other distractions take you away from the melody that is ringing in your heart; the melody is His way of reminding you he is always there and will be with you always.

As we walk in the garden with our Savior and feel that wonderful peace that only he can give, we are reminded of his promise to never leave us alone. He keeps telling us how much he loves us and that he knows the future and everything that has happened and will happen to us. We would love to stay in the garden alone with him, but we have to get back into our daily lives. Our dedicated heart to heart time may be coming to end for that moment, but we know we can reach out to him every second of every day and he will be there. As we leave our special garden and start coming back to our hectic lives, he is calling out to us and telling us how much he loves us and he will be eagerly waiting for us when we are ready to talk again.

We don’t have to be in the garden to pray, I view that we enter the garden when we can have a dedicated time(s) of prayer. It is the time when we pour out our hearts to God and the time we are in the garden will vary. The important thing is that we set aside this time every day since we constantly need the reminder that we are not alone and that all things will work out according to his plan.

We also need to have a continuous awareness of the presence of God and should pray for help as things pop up that challenge us and we should thank him as every blessing occurs and every prayer is answered.

When was the last time you were In the Garden?

In the Garden – Entry #1 of 2

The next song for my Blog was written by C. Austin Miles and first published in 1912. This is a timeless song found in many church hymnals and sung by many great artists. A link to Alan Jackson performing the song is at the bottom of this Blog entry.

In the Garden

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

I’d stay in the garden with Him
‘Tho the night around me be falling
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

I will begin the first entry in this Blog by taking a look at the first verse.

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses

Most of us lead very hectic lives in which we are trying to balance our personal lives, family, demands of our job(s), or perhaps all of these and we become completely overwhelmed. It sometimes feels as if everything is coming down around us. During these challenging times, wouldn’t it be nice to have an escape, at least for a short respite?

Have you ever noticed that one of the most beautiful settings in a flower garden occurs in the early morning? It is at this time that the morning dew is on the roses and other flowering plants and they glisten in the early morning sun. The writer has created such an idyllic setting that symbolizes peace and tranquility. I believe the application in our lives is that we need to have a time of peace and tranquility every day with our Lord and Savior. The place and time is up to each of us and he will be there awaiting our arrival. Our chosen setting may be a closet, a room, a walk, a drive, basically wherever we choose. This special place is our personal Garden and the location and time may change, but it is where we escape to for our one on one time with Jesus. It is a time of inner peace which blocks out everything else in our lives and allows us to focus on our relationship with Jesus. This is the way we should feel as we commune with our Savior. As we open our hearts in this peaceful setting and prepare to pray, we may sense that Christ via the Holy Spirit is with us. Perhaps you sometimes feel so distant from God, but there are other times when you feel Jesus is so close as you pray. The writer in this song has set the perfect setting for prayer and as our hearts are open, Jesus lets us know he is with us. The reality is, he is always there, but we don’t always hear him or see him in action because our hearts are not open to His presence and his comfort, our hearts are more focused on the avalanche of challenges life brings.

Jesus does not join us to just nod his head as we talk to him, he wants to be an active part of our lives. Jesus is only a passive participant if that is all we allow him to be. He wants to walk with us and guide us, he doesn’t want to just follow behind and watch what happens to us; he wants to lead us down the right paths. Via the Holy Spirit and that still small voice, Jesus is talking to us, sharing wisdom, providing guidance, and trying to help us understand the impact of the choices and decisions we make in our lives. Our time in the garden is more than just our conversation with Christ, it is also strengthening our relationship with him. We communicate our blessings, our needs, our praise and he tells us how much he loves us and that everything will eventually be ok. He also reminds us we are never alone in anything we do and we are also a child of his. The more we reach out to him, the more aware we will be of his presence.

Our time in the garden with Jesus should be a time of peace and joy. We are there with the one who loves us more than anyone else possibly can. He is also the one who truly understands every fear and trouble we have and can provide comfort that we never thought possible. Where else can we find such joy? Every time we pray, we need to enter into the arms of Jesus, open our hearts fully to him, and just let him hold us.

Click Here to Watch Alan Jackson Sing In the Garden