While Tomatoes bow their frost tipped brows
Mrs. Broccoli gently smiles
Old Green Bean starts to shed his leaves
And Zucchini sleeps in piles
The Corn folks stiffly shake their stalks
And the Pumpkins wait for pie
Hot Peppers dream of summer walks
As our Garden waves good-bye
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.
Galatians 1:15 NLT
The average person who walks through a formal garden, might pause to admire the beauty of the peonies, or bend low enough to inhale the scent of the roses, but almost no one says, “Wow look at the beautiful edge on that bed!” But as a professional gardener I can tell you that the edge of any garden is its lifeline, and I can’t even begin to add up the number of miles my garden-spade has cut to prevent the roots of the surrounding lawn from invading the soil around the flowers. Today’s verse talks about cutting a different kind of an edge: one God had made in Paul’s life. Now to modern Western culture, the idea people being separated from one other is totally foreign and smacks of prejudice. But this kind of separation is not made by man but by the Master Gardener of the universe. From birth God cut an edge between what Paul wanted to do, and what God had called Him to do, and He wants to do the same for you and me. But you might protest, “I thought Jesus came to bring us peace on earth, not separation! Doesn’t He love everyone?” Oh yes, Jesus loves everyone, but He is loving, pure and holy and He will not compromise those things to make people happy. Even within families, sometimes God must make a separation, to prevent roots of bitterness, hatred, or unbelief from creeping in. It might seem appealing to us to grow outside His garden edge, but it breaks His heart and there will be a price to pay when those roots get tangled in our hearts. Some of that envy, a little pinch of sarcasm, a hint of jealousy and on and on, wraps their tentacles around our motives and actions. But even if that has happened, there is good news. When we return to God and His word, His garden-spade, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, will begin to separate us again to Him, and by His grace gives us a chance to bloom again!
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
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!
praise2worshipdotnet 
You must be logged in to post a comment.