My mind is filled with memories From the days and miles, I’ve run Like aging stacks of photographs Of people loved now gone
And yet each dawn comes once again A song of hope and grace That tells me I have one more lap To finish in This race
And sings mysterious melodies In rhythms still to learn That teach my feet to keep in step Along His path to home
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 ESV
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” Matthew 25:36 NKJV
When Hurricane Milton passed through, everyone in our area, including all the residents at Life Care Center, were evacuated. This first service since we returned featured a new appreciation for how God preserved us and brought us back together. There is no better hymn to sing in celebration than “The Beautiful Garden of Prayer.” We passed through a time of anxiety, difficulty and testing and as we prayed, God drew us closer to His heart and deeper into the Beautiful Garden of Prayer! “The lyrics for The Beautiful Garden of Prayer were written by Eleanor Schroll and first published in 1920. The wonderful lilting melody was composed by James Filmore. This little-known hymn is one of my favorites and it reminds me of when Jesus invited His disciples to join Him in prayer, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Though they did not know it, this was the last time they would be able to pray with Jesus before His crucifixion. That invitation remains today for all of us who follow Christ. He is already in the garden, and He is calling us to join Him. No matter what situation we are facing, He will open the gates and welcome us to kneel by His side and pray. Won’t you come to His side whether in praise or in sorrow and tarry there an hour? What better place could we ever wait, than in the presence of the Savior?
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Luke 12:27 NKJV
As many of you know, we here in Florida have recently been through two hurricanes. Thankfully, our home was spared damage, though for a couple of days our neighborhood was surrounded on all sides by flooding. For us, the highlight of these events is that Betty and Banjo moved in with us. Betty is a lady from our prayer group, and my buddy Banjo is a fourteen-year-old Yorkie, who is still pretty spry though he is missing a few of his teeth. Taking a quick glance at Banjo’s face as he waits for me to hook up his leash, doesn’t inspire the thought, “Now that is a wise looking animal.” Yet, the Lord has used my new friend to remind me about stopping to consider.
You see, when I go for my normal walks, I look up at the sky, smile at the neighbors and focus on finishing a mile in just over twenty minutes. But walking with Banjo has been quite a different experience. Banjo’s goal (besides his normal doggie duties) is to stop and sniff at leaves, fallen branches, plants in my garden and even rather ordinary patches of grass. At first, I wasted time and energy fussing at Banjo, tugging on his leash and wondering what in the world was so intriguing about whatever twig his nose was closely inspecting. Then I remembered how Jesus said, “Consider the lilies.” and He, the master craftsman of the universe, designed every detail of every lily to teach me a lesson about life. I recalled that while I enjoyed striding around my neighborhood, Banjo preferred slowly ambling up the sidewalk, pausing every few feet to consider the delicate smells of a thousand things in his world. When I toss and turn in my bed wondering how we can help Betty and Banjo get reestablished, Banjo sleeps soundly though the night. While I fret over whether we should invest in a generator, Banjo simply eats whatever we put in his dish and then lies down for a sweet nap. Though our future seems more uncertain than ever, now I pause again and consider lilies, and sparrows, and remember that my Heavenly Father is still in control. He orders the tides and storms, commands the wind and waves, and calms my heart. And I am thankful this morning for how God sent us one little Yorkie named Banjo, to remind me of His love and care!
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