I Come To The Garden Alone
One of my all time favorite hymns this song
"In The Garden" has
touched my heart for years. I've not always nor
even now really know all the words but these key
lines have stuck with me always. "I come to
the garden alone While the dew is still on the
roses" and "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."
Today I made a realization - wow, Faith had
another one of those eye
openers, which does happen occasionally. For as
long as I can remember some of my most special,
most peaceful times of my life have been spent
"In the Garden". And even more so
"While the dew is still on the roses"
early in the morning while most everyone else is
still sleeping "alone" - I am a morning
person. But, was I alone? No, some of my closest
talks with Our Father have been right there,
setting in the dirt, pulling weeds or digging
plants to move to a new location, planting seeds
in hopes and dreams of what would grow from them.
Even during the long years of my life when I
wasn't living for God - He was there in the
garden with me. I was never "alone".
There are some very important scriptures in the
bible connected with gardens. Of course most
everyone, believer and non-believers know the
"story" of Adam and Eve in the Garden
of Eden.
Genesis 2:8-10 And the LORD God planted a garden
eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom
he had formed. And out of the ground made the
LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to
the sight, and good for food; the tree of life
also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of
knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out
of Eden to water the garden;
We also most all know what happened after that -
Adam and Eve messed up! Result of which God had
created the most beautiful of gardens but we
humans didn't listen and ended up where we are
now. Most believers are or should be if not
already, trying to get back to that garden.
Now, I may be off the mark here but seems to me
that "The Garden"
must have been pretty important to God. He did
all that work the first 6 days, rested on the 7th
and sometime in there He planted a garden to put
man in
Sounds important to me! The word
"garden" alone is in the King James
Version of the bible 59 times, (if you don't
believe me click here, I've listed them for you or
you can do your own search) lot of stuff going on
in "gardens" in those days. Just a
little side note here, the word "satan"
is only mentioned 49 times won't bother listing
those as he's not important if your living for
God you have power over him.
(ok, I
know he is mentioned by other names but working
the numbers here for effect and sure there are
many "gardens" that although mentioned
are not pulled up by the word
"garden").
Some very very interesting information I learned
today though is even
though it doesn't say "garden" in the
scripture one of the most touching times in
history happened in a garden, Gethsemane.
*Gethsemane (an oil press), garden across the
Kidron Valley on the Mount of Olives (Hebrew Har
ha-Zetim), a mile-long ridge paralleling the
eastern part of Jerusalem, where Jesus is said to
have prayed on the night of his arrest before his
Crucifixion. The name Gethsemane (Hebrew gat
shemanim, "oil press") suggests that
the garden was a grove of olive trees in which
was located an oil press. Encyclopędia
Britannica
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Matthew 26
36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place
called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here,
while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of
Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very
heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye
here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his
face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if
it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth
them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye
not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch
and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 He went away again the second time, and
prayed, saying, O my Father, if
this cup may not pass away from me, except I
drink it, thy will be done.
43 And he came and found them asleep again: for
their eyes were heavy.
44 And he left them, and went away again, and
prayed the third time, saying the same words.
45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith
unto them, Sleep on now, and take your
rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of
man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Rise,
let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth
betray me.
47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the
twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with
swords and staves, from the chief priests and
elders of the people.
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Not once but three times, less than 24 hours
before His "Death" Jesus
prayed to Our Father, His Father in a garden. Is
it important that Jesus choose a garden to do
this? Most likely not, but one of those questions
to ask when we meet Him for sure. But then maybe
it is. Jesus asked His disciples to "watch
with" Him. Yet they fell asleep. Now, if
they were in a more "uncomfortable"
spot might they not have fallen asleep?
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak." He didn't say just if your
uncomfortable watch and pray, He said do it in
this garden.
Jesus is asking His Father to not let what is
about to happen (His Death)
but at the same time is prepared to do Our
Father's will. But even in those final hours He
is giving "us" a chance, all we had to
do was "watch and pray". Just as in the
Garden of Eden we failed again. Jesus went to His
death on The Cross-for us, not himself, not for
Our Father God but for us. Are we in the garden
alone now? Are we watching and praying as He
asked? I love my time in the garden with God,
Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. My lowest times in my
life have been when I couldn't for some reason be
in the garden. My highest times have been while
in the garden, listening and talking with Our
Father. Is this coincidence? Or is it God
speaking to me - we are to be like Jesus! Jesus
did choose a garden to spend some of his last
hours on earth, in earthly form, in a garden. I
think it's pretty cool and look forward even more
to spring when I can once again be in the garden,
not alone but with Our Father.
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John 20:15-17
Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?
She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto
him,
Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where
thou
hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus
saith unto her, Mary.
She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni;
which is to say, Master.
Jesus saith unto her,
Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my
Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them,
I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to
my God, and your God.
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Doesn't
say "garden" but if Mary thought Jesus
was a gardener then
would lead me to believe they were in a garden
again - ummm He pops in to deliever one more
message before ascending to Heaven.
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lyrics to:
IN THE GARDEN
Words & Music: C. Austin Miles
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.
Refrain
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.
Refrain
Id stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
Refrain
My prayer for all who read this
and all who don't. May Our Father bless us all
with the glory of His love, may He never leave us
alone in the garden, may He walk with us and talk
with us for eternity. May satan know he has no
chance as we have the power of the Lord. May Our
Lord Jesus Christ show us the paths to take and
guide our steps along the cobblestones. Blessed
Father thank you for all you have done for us,
thank you for giving us the chance to share time
in the garden with You, thank you for being Our
Father. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.
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