The Secret Garden Chronicles, Day 5: Rest = Silence=Worship Revisited

This was originally written a couple of years ago, when the Secret Garden was a new place for me to sit and "rest" and pray and worship the Lord. I am sorry to say that I have fallen away from that daily habit in the years since, although I do still go out there periodically when I really need to just be "silent" before the Lord. I think I am due for a visit, but not today. It's been raining non-stop all day and is about 48 degrees out there right now. However, since this is a Sunday afternoon, my thoughts have been on resting in the Lord. This past week was full of turmoil in the world, and my heart and soul need a rest from the news and sorrow of how dark our nation is becoming.  So come along with me as we enter the Secret Garden and sit silently and give our hearts and minds some "rest".

Original Post 1/28/17:

As we enter the Secret Garden today, this song comes back to me once again:

"The Lord is in His holy temple,

The Lord is in His holy temple;

Let all the earth keep silence,

Let all the earth keep silence before Him,

Keep silence, keep silence before Him."

Amen

In yesterday's post I wrote about Psalm 37, and in the process of reading that passage, verse 7 in particular...please note where it says "REST in the Lord...", there is a reference in my Bible that says the words "Rest in the Lord" literally means "Be silent to the Lord, and it gives a reference to Psalm 62:1, which says "Truly my soul silently waits for God..."

Well, since writing yesterday's post these words keep coming back to me, especially in the form of the call to worship chorus "The Lord Is In His Holy Temple", which is actually a quote from Habakkuk 2:20.  In trying to understand how the words "REST in the Lord" equates with the translation "Be SILENT to the Lord", the Lord drew my attention back to this song...and it's as if God is making a point here to me to notice something in this song that further explains what He means by REST=SILENCE.

Let us look at this music score together so we can further understand what God is telling me through this passage:

Do you see where it says, "Let all the earth keep silence" and then there is a little note or musical symbol after the word SILENCE...and that symbol is actually called a REST, which means that the singer and the instruments literally stop and REST, or be SILENT for just that moment before continuing on to the next phrase/note.  If you will further "note" (pun intended) the REST comes again after "Let all the earth keep silence before Him, and then every time  after the word "Silence", there is another REST!  Do you see what I see???

Lord, I love that YOU are making this point, especially in light of the fact that my "One Word" for 2017 is REST...and here I am, attempting to do just that as I come before Your presence here in this place that has been set apart particularly for worship, meditation, and REST in You.  I am in awe of what You are showing me as we come together each day.  Even though we are learning here that REST=SILENCE, I am seeing that in this time of RESTing in You, and being SILENT to You, I am learning more about what it means to  truly WORSHIP YOU.  The only thing is, it really is difficult for me to be SILENT when everything we do here leads me to give You praise!  However, I know there is something beautiful in silently coming before the Lord...and waiting on You to lead the way.

These songs come to my mind and voice as I think about this...

"Open my eyes that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.

Place in my hands the wonderful key

that shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready my God, Thy will to see,

Open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit Divine."

("Open My Eyes That I May See" by Clara H. Scott)

and

"Spirit of the Living God,

Fall fresh on me,

Spirit of the Living God,

Fall fresh on me.

Melt me, Mold me, Fill me, Use me.

Spirit of the Living God, 

Fall fresh on me."

("Spirit of the Living God" by Daniel Iverson)

Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to come into Your Presence each day.  As I leave this place today, I am refreshed and rested. I am learning more about what it means to be silent before the Lord...and to allow His soothing Presence to calm my spirit and fill me with His Spirit...and then I am better equipped to tackle whatever comes along.  

Praise God!

Amen.

"Be Silent, All Flesh, Before the Lord"...A Sunday Meditation

"Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord,

for He is aroused from His holy habitation."

Zechariah 2:13

"Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith."

Habakkuk 2:4

 "But the Lord is in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him."

Habakkuk 2:20

This was the scene I stumbled across early this morning as I took a quick walk before breakfast.

This doe was resting in the tall grass inside the fenced lot of an empty vacation home. She awakened and stood up, and suddenly all these other deer stood up in the lot and gathered together. I had no idea they were all there until then. It was quite a scene.  

When she stood up, she gave me quite the look and stuck her tongue out at me as if to say, 

"Why did you wake us all up?  Now we'll have to get up and move from our peaceful resting place."

I tried to reassure her that I meant no harm, but nevertheless, she gathered up the family and they moved on to quieter spaces where nosy people wouldn't disturb them.

Even though I know I disturbed them, it was a blessing to me to see them this morning.

As many of you know, we have had quite the week, and it's not over yet...but this was a welcome respite from the deluge...it helped me to silence my mind and prepare my heart for worship today at church, which was exactly what we needed. It was so wonderful to be embraced in the loving fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ and to know that we are not alone in our journey. Of course, we already knew that...so many people are praying and have expressed their love and concern...but to have hugs and prayers and words of comfort face to face was indeed comforting.

Like these deer, we are stronger together.

Thank you all for your prayers and expressions of love this past week. Today we are waiting for the final call regarding my mother in law. We know it is just a matter of time, and probably not very much time right now. But we know where she is going, and we are comforted.

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer's feet,

and He will make me walk on my high hills."

Habakkuk 3:18-19

Final view of the deer as each one eventually leaped over the fence and headed for the safety of the deeper woods.

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 4 "Keep Silence Before Him"

"The Lord is in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him."

Habakkuk 2:20

"Truly my soul silently waits for God.

From Him comes my salvation.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

for my expectation is from Him."

Psalm 62: 1, 5

Some thoughts on entering "The Secret Place" (Garden)...an excerpt from the book I've been reading entitled "Live Free, The Inner Journey to Healing" by Gayle Belanger, shared with permission of the author. (pages 27-28)

"As you enter the secret place, picture a communion table set just for you and your Lord.  Allow your table to be a joyful place; a place you feel comfortable and safe; a place set up just for you to share your heart and be transparent with Jesus.  This is a time to give Him ALL of you.  Let Him have complete access and recall..."not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42b NIV).

As I opened my heart and mind and soul and ears to what the Lord would say to me today...as I sat silently waiting for Him, I could sense His Presence surrounding me.  I could hear His voice singing in the cooing of the doves in the background, and I could feel His warmth enveloping me as the light of the sun filtered through the cool breeze and shade of the trees over me.  As I sat silently waiting for Him to lead me, I was somewhat distracted by the chattering of a little chickadee...who obviously wasn't sure he wanted me invading his space.

But as I focused on the Lord, and His Presence, and the sweet communion we would share, He directed me to Psalm 37:3-7.... a familiar Psalm for sure, but perhaps He wanted me to see something differently today.

3.  "TRUST in the Lord, and DO GOOD,

DWELL in the land, 

and FEED on His faithfulness.

4.  DELIGHT yourself also in the Lord,

and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5.  COMMIT your way to the Lord,

TRUST also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

6.  He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light

and your justice as the noon day.

7.  REST in the Lord, and WAIT PATIENTLY for Him.

DO NOT FRET because of him who prospers in his way.

As I read through these verses I noticed that there were 10 commands from the Lord...action words for me to perform.  I wrote those "commands" in all caps above.   Then I was directed down to verse 23-24, which is where I understood that God meant the above to be the STEPS of a good man (or woman)

23.  The STEPS of a good man (woman) 

are ordered by the Lord,

and He (God) delights in his way.

24. Though he (she) fall, he shall not be utterly cast down,

for the LORD UPHOLDS him WITH HIS HAND!!

As we learn to walk with the Lord, these will be our STEPS, and God will DELIGHT in the way we are walking with Him!  And even if we should fail, He will uphold us with His very own hand! Now that's a comforting thought.

Then I went on to read verses 25-26:

25.  I have been young, and now am old;

Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.

26.  He is ever merciful and lends;

and his descendants are blessed."

I always had misinterpreted the "He" in verse 26 to mean GOD, but as I read it today I realized that it was talking about "the righteous" man ...is ever merciful and lends.  We, God's people, (me) are to be merciful and "lend"--be generous and kind, show mercy to others...and our own descendants will be blessed.  In other words, don't be selfish with what we have been given, even though we may not feel that we have much...but be kind and merciful and our own descendants will be blessed.  

Verse 37 says:

"Mark the blameless man,

and observe the upright;

for the future of that man is PEACE."

Who doesn't long for PEACE?  Follow the STEPS of a good man/woman, and you will find PEACE.

Thank You, Lord, for shedding a new light on these passages today.  Today I want my steps to be ordered by YOU...I want to:

1. TRUST in the Lord
2. DO GOOD
3. DWELL in the land
4. FEED on His faithfulness
5. DELIGHT myself in Him
6. COMMIT my way to Him
7. TRUST in Him again!!!  (He mentions the TRUST word twice! Must be important!)
8. REST in the Lord, (which literally means to "be silent to the Lord)*
9. WAIT PATIENTLY for Him
10. DO NOT FRET

* Reference to Psalm 62:1 "Truly my soul silently waits for God..."

"Truly my soul silently waits for God.

From Him comes my salvation.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
for my expectation is from Him."
Psalm 62: 1, 5

Amen

Here are a few pictures from in and around the Secret Garden today that I think will bless you as we delight ourselves in the Lord....spring is coming!  Have a blessed day in the Lord, my friends.