The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 2 "I Am Your Servant"

This is Day 2 of The Secret Garden Chronicles...and I must say I am a bit overwhelmed...by God and His love...and by you, my friends...and how you have blessed me with your overwhelming response to how God is ministering to us through this place. Thank you for your words of encouragement and affirmation on yesterday's post.  You are truly an inspiration to me, and also a confirmation that God is in this new adventure in the Secret Garden.  I truly hope you will continue to come along with me as the Lord shares His message through His Word and His creation.

Lord, I am Your servant...I am listening for Your voice...

Micah 6:8

"He has shown you, O man (woman!),

what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you...

1. But to do justly
2. To love mercy
3. And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 7:7

"Therefore I will look to the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

My God will hear me."

Not  sure where all of this is leading, Lord...

     So I started to sing:

"Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou has died...

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer 

Blessed Lord,

to Thy Precious bleeding side.

I am Thine O Lord,

I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith

and be closer drawn to Thee...

(Chorus)

Consecrate me now

to Thy service, Lord,

By the power of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

and my will be lost in Thine.

(Chorus)

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour

that before Thy throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer, 

and with Thee, my God,

I commune as friend with friend!"

"Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou has died...

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer 

Blessed Lord,

to Thy Precious bleeding side."

(Draw Me Nearer, by Fanny Crosby)

 Psalm 73:28 says:

"But it is good for me

to draw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord God,

that I may declare

ALL YOUR WORKS!"

So, Lord, Is this why I am being drawn to this Secret Garden...so that I may draw nearer to YOU, and then that I may declare ALL YOUR WORKS to others?

My friend Gayle Belanger writes in her book Live Free, The Inner Journey To Healing, (pgs. 22-23)

"In order for your inner man or woman to commune with God, you must intentionally

prepare yourself and your surroundings.

First, find a favorite place that is quiet and free from distractions.  

It is of utmost importance that you take time each day to commune in a 

beautiful, peaceful and loving space (location) with your Lord.

Preferably, the same place each time.

I find the anointing of His Spirit builds up in that spot and

it becomes a sacred place.

As you make this your daily routine, you will find the Lord 

waiting there for you."

Oh yes, Gayle, You hit it right on the head with this!  Every day I am seeing more and more how extra special this place is...it has been set apart as a place to commune with my Lord; a place where I can draw nearer to Him...and He is there waiting for me, in the stillness, the quietness, the calm, the beauty...

Even the birds as they fly to and fro going about their business...they pause a moment to watch...

and I believe they too sense God's Presence here...and then they go on about their way, blessing me with their sweet songs!

Yes, "I am Thine O Lord, I have heard Thy Voice..."

As this precious time of listening to God's Voice drew to a close, I thought about what the Lord was teaching me...and then another old hymn came to mind...

"Jesus, I would faithful be,

Give me the power, give me the power...

Jesus I would walk with Thee,

Each passing hour, each passing hour.

In Thy footsteps place my feet,

As Thou dost will, as Thou dost will;

And if thorns my pathway meet,

Bid me be still, be still."

(Jesus I Would Faithful Be" by J.O. Hillyer)

"BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD;

I WILL BE EXALTED AMONG THE NATIONS,

I WILL BE EXALTED IN THE EARTH!"

Psalm 46:10

Thank You, Lord, for speaking to me today. Thank You for drawing me nearer to Thee.  Now help me to be faithful to my task..."In Thy footsteps place my feet...and if thorns my pathway meet...Bid me be still...be still!"  Amen.

Now for some practical thoughts concerning spending this time in the Secret Garden with the Lord...I thought of some things I need to remember each day:

1. My Bible
2. My Journal
3. An ink pen that writes smoothly!
4. A hymnbook because the Lord keeps reminding me of special songs and I want to get the words right!
5. My camera...(of course!)
6. And...this should be #1:  An open heart, open soul, open mind, and open ears!!!

Here are a few more pictures of my latest project for the Secret Garden! (I told someone this isn't finished yet...always something new to add!)

We have a new next door neighbor in the house behind us...and this old wire planter was on the back porch...and he said he was going to be taking some things to the dump...so I asked him if he intended to take this to the dump as well...and he asked me if I wanted it, and I said yes, I'd very much like to have it for my Secret Garden...  Yes...I know it is all rusty and ugly...but so were some of us before the Lord cleaned us up and changed us and made us a new creature!!!

 And so this morning, armed with a can of white spray paint...this little planter became a useful and beautiful vessel for the Secret Garden....

I needed a small table beside the bench to put my cup of tea or water on when I sit out here...and this little "table" is perfect!

So, thank You, Lord...and thank you, new neighbor!!!

Here's one more "new thing" in the garden:

The little camellia bush that my friend Karen gave me is blooming again!!!  Isn't it lovely?  Thank you, Karen...and thank YOU Lord, for Your beauty all around us!!!

Yes, Lord, I AM YOUR servant... and I have heard Your voice...

"And it told Thy love to me;"

"Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord...

By the Power of grace divine;

Let my soul look UP with a steadfast hope,

and MY WILL be LOST in Thine!"

Amen!!