Garden of Prayer

Garden of Prayer!

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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?

How is Your Garden of Prayer?

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Pulling Weeds in the Garden of Prayer

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  Romans 8:26 ESV

In my time as a landscaper, I think I learned more spiritual lessons on my knees in the garden, than on my knees in church. Maybe the most important was that weeds grow far better than flowers, both in a perennial bed as well as in our prayer life. This came to me after spending two days weeding and edging the flower beds at a weekend place in the country of one of my customers. Then on Saturday they ca3lled and asked me to stop by. That morning as we walked around surveying the vast flower beds, Mary Ann turned to me and said, “I can’t believe it Peter. You’ve done such a marvelous job. Those flowers are growing so strong that they are choking out the weeds!”

For a moment I was struck speechless but deciding that explaining the details of the 16 hours of work it took to make it that way, I simply smiled and nodded. Our prayer life in many ways is not unlike those gardens. When everything is in order and we are seeking God, amazingly things will blossom around us, as God goes to work in every corner of His garden. But when we neglect our time in the prayer closet, it won’t take long for weeds to grow, and those flowers (answers to prayer) will not choke out the weeds. We need to get back down on our knees, and with God’s strength and direction, begin to pull them out one by one. The kinds of weeds that grow are almost endless, but here are three of the most common –

The Weed of Prayerlessness – Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way. 1 Samuel 12:23 KJV

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2) The Weed of Selfishness – You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. James 4:3 ESV  

 

3) The Weed of Sleepiness – And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Luke 22:45-46 ESV

We need the Holy Spirit to motivate us – to direct our hearts, wake us up so that the light of Christ can shine in our hearts again!

Praying for Our Grandchildren

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Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord teach us to pray as John as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 ESV

Notice in today’s verse that learning to pray, was more the hallmark of being a disciple than learning to preach. Of course, we all know by heart the Lord’s prayer, which Jesus used to give us a pattern for our prayers. But if we could back up the bus just a bit, we would see that Jesus’ primary method of teaching prayer was by His example. Remember, that when Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus took His closest disciples with Him. He didn’t need them to help Him pray. He needed them to be with Him so that they could learn to pray. When I look at my grandchildren today and think of what heritage I will leave behind, I hope it will be that they remember I prayed for them. One of our grandsons is far away from God right now, but when we saw him last week, we put our arms around him and told him that we love him and are praying for him every day. Do I think he listened? Maybe not – but I do know that when God answers our prayers that he will remember. We must never give up praying for our children and grandchildren. We must not give up praying for our neighborhoods, our communities and our nation. If we leave nothing else behind let’s leave behind prayers so big that will be answered after we are with Jesus. This week’s video includes two of my favorite hymns on prayer – In the Garden and Sweet Hour of Prayer. Have a blessed weekend everybody!