A restored garden (Dan Wells)

By


“The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord.” (Isaiah 51:3)

Have you ever seen a garden go to rack and ruin? It’s not a pleasant sight (and my lack of gardening skills have sadly contributed to this!) Weeds can spring up, overtaking the other plants and dominating the beauty of the garden. Walls can be broken down, fences damaged and the garden descends into chaos.

Back in 1990, a door was found in the Heligan estate in Cornwall. It led to a ‘secret’ garden that had been lost and neglected since the outbreak of World War One. Overgrown and covered in bramble and ivy, it had been overlooked and ignored. The biggest garden restoration project in Europe began and the garden was restored to its former glory.

God the gardener is in the business of restoration. To the exiles of Israel in Isaiah he gives words of comfort. Though they feel broken down and overtaken, there is hope of restoration. He will look with compassion on their ruins and turn what felt like wastelands into the garden of the Lord.

Do you feel a bit broken down and overgrown? Does the garden of your life need some tender care and restoration. God longs to restore each one of us by his Holy Spirit to be beautiful and glorious.

Lord God, thank you that you promise restoration for those who are lost and neglected. Take my broken ruins and make them new. Fill me with your Holy Spirit so that neglect may turn to nurture and weeds may turn to beauty. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breakfast On The Beach (Penny Cox)

By
Image
"When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread” John 21:9(NLT) I don’t know about you, but when I’m confused or stressed, I often revert to doing something familiar. It comforts me, and makes me feel secure. Perhaps that is why the disciples decide to go fishing at this time. Maybe they were feeling stressed and want the comfort of familiarity. Or maybe they were hungry, or needed the money. Or simply didn’t know what to do with themselves without Jesus’ physical presence. Whatever the reason, despite their best efforts, the fishing trip was unsuccessful until Jesus appeared on the shore, and intervened with a miracle that saw the disciples’ nets filled to capacity. The part of this account that I find so encouraging is that Jesus not only turned up to help the disciples when they had failed to catch any fish, but that he also made breakfast for them. Jesus shows us that he knew exactly what his friends needed; they needed his reas
Read more

Jesus and the strong man (Nico Marais)

By
Image
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis[a] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. Mark 5:18-20 What precedes today’s passage is the well-known story of Jesus sending the demons from this man into a herd (or litter, depending on who you ask) of pigs that ultimately drown themselves.  The Bible says this man was so strong that chains could not hold him.  When he is set free from his demonic bondage he begs Jesus to come with Him.  Jesus says no and sends him back to his family, friends and his own people to share what Jesus has done for him. This is exactly what Jesus asks each of us to do as well.  We can’t really share Christ’s peace, mercy, hope, power and love via proxy.  We have to encounter it for oursel
Read more

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen (Penny Cox)

By
Image
“I will exalt you. My God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever” (Psalm 145) The conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer brings great peace. Having earnestly brought forward our requests, we now reaffirm that our Heavenly Father is all powerful and in control of all things. When saying these final words, in my mind I picture handing over and entrusting all my worries and burdens to our Almighty God. As we place our petitions into his holy hands and surrender ourselves to his kingdom, let’s experience the peace we reach by letting God work. Our “Amen” joins us together, wherever we are and whatever our situation, in the harmony of agreement. If you have time today or over the weekend, perhaps you could read the whole of Psalm 145. It is a wonderful psalm of praise . A Prayer - Heavenly Father. Thank you that through your son Jesus Christ you taught us to pray. Help us keep the meaning of this precious prayer fresh in our minds every time we say it. Grant us your peace and keep us
Read more