A Walk In The Garden

“Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence.” (Robert Fripp)

As I go about my day, I often catch myself humming a tune. I’ve always enjoyed a variety of music. Some days a fast beat helps me get motivated and moves me right along. On other days, the down-to-earth sound of Bluegrass matches my mood best. Then there are times when it’s just God and me in the silence. That’s when the songs of my childhood come back to me and tug at the edge of my thoughts. Songs like “In the Garden”

“In The Garden”
(1st & 2ed stanzas)

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.

As I sing this, in my mind I see images of a quiet walk in a grassy garden with flowers, shrubs, and trees all around. The thought that God will meet us where we are and wants to spend time with us one-on-one humbles me. He created man for fellowship. He wants to spend time talking with us every day.

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?” (Gen. 3:8-9)

This leads me to believe that Adam’s walks with the Lord were a regular occurrence; and when Adam sinned, he couldn’t face God. So he hid. More often than I care to admit; that’s what I do. When my wayward spirit leads me down the wrong path, I find myself pulling away from God. I hide myself in distractions like TV, loud music, and even ‘busyness’. Do you ever do that? Some call it drowning out the voice of our conscious. I suspect I hide because if I were to face God, I would need to confess my sin and turn away from it.

Sometimes I get stubborn and don’t want to confess and repent. The more I dig my heals in, the more my pride rears up. Why should I have to humble myself? After all, everyone else sins sometimes.

You know, in really thinking about it, that sounds just like a rebellious child. If you’ve ever spent any time at all around children, you’ll remember watching them make the most irrational excuses for not being obedient. My favorite one is: “Everyone else does it!”

If we, as children, were to keep turning back to God when we mess up and draw closer to Him instead of pulling away, we would find that our loving Father would wrap us in His forgiveness. We would find the peace and joy that only He can give.

David described it best in one of his songs, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

Take a walk with the Lord today. Find comfort in being in His presence and (re)discover the peace that can only come from time spent with your loving Father.

May the Lord bless you.