The Secret Garden Chronicles: Waiting and Watching Updated for Lent 2026

Good Morning on this first Friday of Lent, 2026.  I haven't been out and about much this week due to all the previously discussed issues we were working through, so I don't have anything new to share today. Therefore, I decided to go back into the archives of previous years to see what I was writing about "Lent".  This particular post goes back to March 25, 2017, when we were still living in our home in the national forest and also where my "Secret Garden" orginated.  I hope you will enjoy this walk back to the Secret Garden with me..

Original Post 3/25/2017:

I bought this beautiful old antique bowl today at the local flea market....

with the idea of using it for a bird bath in the Secret Garden.  So, I've set it up here

And now I'm just sitting here waiting and watching to see if the birds will try it out.  They probably won't while I am sitting here...and where it is placed it can't be seen from the inside of the house...so I may have to rethink this plan.  It is so pretty...I do hope the birds will appreciate it!

Meanwhile, while sitting in the garden my attention was drawn to Lamentations 3:22-26, which speaks a bit about watching and waiting:

22.  "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed.

Because His compassions fail not.

23.  They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24.  'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul,

'Therefore I hope in Him!'

25.  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

26.  It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord."

What are we waiting for?

We are waiting for God's mercies and compassions...

they are new every morning.

We hope in the Lord..

We wait for His goodness,

because He is good to those who wait for Him...

We wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord...

In verses 40-41, as we sit and wait on the Lord:

40.  "Let us search out and examine our ways,

and turn back to the Lord;

41.  Let us lift our hearts and hands 

to God in heaven."

If we already know the Lord, we have nothing to fear...but it is good to take time to examine our hearts and repent of any lack of trust, lack of faith, and lack of honesty before the Lord. Let Him cleanse our hearts anew and refresh our spirits so that we are able to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

This is a wonderful time...during the Lenten season leading up to Easter...to prepare our hearts for renewal and revival.

I noticed that one of our local churches is having a revival this week...and I wondered in my mind, "Do people still go to revivals?"  And if they do, who goes...the "sinners" or the "saints"?

It's been a long time since I attended a true revival, and it seemed as though only the "saints" were there...but guess what?  A lot of "saints" recognized that they were also "sinners", and there was a lot of soul searching and repenting going on.  So, I guess a revival is a good thing for both the saints and the sinners...we never know when a "lost sheep" will come home to Jesus and be saved...and perhaps there might be some sheep who truly needs to make things right with the Lord as well.

So I'm praying for this church and its revival services. May the Lord do a mighty work that overflows into our whole community, resulting in a true revival where hearts are changed and souls are saved.

While sitting there reflecting on the words of the prophet Jeremiah, the author of Lamentations, 

I couldn't help but start singing this favorite old hymn:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

1 “Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

2 Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Refrain

Amen!

Oh How Great is the faithfulness of our Lord!!! Yes, we who know the Lord are truly blessed with all that we have ever needed...and beyond!  May we watch and wait for Him every day with hope and faith!  

Back to the Secret Garden....after waiting all that time to see if the birds would try out the new bird bath (note the pictures of the birds above...they were all watching and waiting for me to leave)...I decided to go back inside, but I moved the birdbath to a location where it could be observed from inside the house.

And then I came in the house and started writing this into the computer...and it wasn't long before my attention was brought back to the window...

And there was Mr. Catbird...taking a drink from the new bird bath.  I had put a smaller bowl of water inside the large one, which is also filled with water,  in case the birds were fearful of the deep bowl.  After he took a drink from this one, he then flew over to the other smaller birdbath that is in the garden:

And there he sat and took a bath...even though it sits a little cockeyed.  Then Mr. Cardinal also came and drank from this birdbath:

And so I decided to go back out and take out the smaller bowl from the new birdbath and lower the water level a little bit to see if they will try it out that way.

I'll keep watching and waiting!

Meanwhile...

May your day be filled with the joy and blessing of the Lord!!

For another post on this topic, click HERE

Back to the Present, 2/20/2026:

In case you are wondering whatever happened to that beautiful bowl, well, I rescued it from the Secret Garden before something bad happened to it. The birds never did take to it like I hoped they would, so it came back inside and now, at this house where we moved to from that particular house, it resides beside our bed on my hubby's nightstand:

It actually serves a good purpose for him in that he can roll up his extra smaller throw blankets and put them them there to grab during the night if needed. (no picture of that).   

And meanwhile, as we wait for the return of our Lord...let us not grow weary...

Isaiah 40:31 KJV

"31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; 

they shall mount up with wings as eagles; 

they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Amen.

Have a blessed day!

Waiting on God - Updated

UPDATE 4/23/2020:  I like to go back and look at things I've written in the past around the same time of year as the current time, and this was written on 4/24/2018.  I think the theme of "Waiting on God" certainly is appropriate for our current situation today, don't you? We are all waiting on God, for this Covid 19 Crisis to pass, and waiting on God for the okay sign to get back out into the realm of the living again...allowing people to get back to work safely, and for us to begin to slowly get back into the mainstream of life once again.  

These pictures below came from our previous home. I sometimes miss the beauties of that place, but then again, God has given us some wonderful beauties to behold here in our new home as well. We waited patiently for the Lord to sell our house and find us a new home, and I must say that God does all things well. We can trust Him, friends, to bring us through this crisis into a stronger and better place than before. Just keep your eyes focused on the Lord, and He will never let you down.

Original Post, 4/24/2018:

 "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass."

Psalm 37:7

"Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

and He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

Psalm 27:14

 "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

to the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly 

for the salvation of the Lord."

Lamentations 3:25-26

"The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

and You give them their food in due season"

Psalm 145:15

"You open Your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing."

Psalm 145:16

"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

to all who call upon Him in truth.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry and save them."

Psalm 145:18-19

Dear friend, Are you waiting on God today for some answers to difficult questions?

Are you waiting for the Lord to show you His plan for your life...whether it be financial, medical, personal family situations, salvation of a loved one...

Whatever it may be that you are waiting for, you can trust God to meet your need...

He is always there...He hears your prayer, and He sees your heart...

Trust in the Lord...

"Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God,

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

Amen!

The God of Surprises

8/1/2017 UPDATE NOTE:  I like to look back and see what I was doing/thinking in previous years around this same date, and I came across this post, which was written on 8/2/15, just a few months before I retired. I am sure that is the big decision that I was wrestling with on that particular day. I am happy to say that I did retire as planned, and that it was the best decision I ever made! (Well, apart from getting married and having babies, that is!)  God has been with me throughout these days and has provided all our needs even better than I ever expected.  I want to share this post with you today, because there may be someone out there struggling with some kind of important decision, and perhaps there will be something here for you as well!  Our God IS the God of surprises...good things that He wants to share with us and bless us.  We just have to trust Him to lead the way and not worry about the future.  He has us in the palm of His hand...and we need not fear!!

Original Post 8/2/2015:
"When everything seems to be going wrong, refuse to get discouraged.  Remember that I AM a God of surprises: I am not limited by the way things are or by the paltry possibilities you can see.  I am infinitely creative and powerful. With ME all things are possible!"   

From Jesus Today, 

by Sarah Young, #39.

  

I read this particular passage in Sarah Young's Jesus Today  a couple of days ago, and it impressed me so much that I made a notation at the bottom of the page with the date I had read it so that I would look back at that on a future date and remember...

That future date was today, just five days later.  I've been wrestling with some personal decisions and thought I had it all figured out...and then got hit with a reality check and it appeared that all my dreams and aspirations were going to fall flat and I would have to give it up.  Last night before I fell asleep I asked my husband to please pray for me because I was so frustrated, disappointed and feeling rather despondent.  He prayed the sweetest prayer and asked the Lord to comfort me and to restore my faith and hope.  I drifted off to sleep with a tiny flicker of hope in my heart, but still doubting that anything would change.

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and rested, but still wasn't too sure that anything could change. Actually, I just didn't think about it at all.  Sunday mornings are busy for us, preparing our house for our home Bible study and worship service in addition to the normal routines of breakfast, getting dressed and sometimes even taking a quick walk.  Today we had the added "pleasure" of removing a tick off of my husband's back and trying to dig the head out when it refused to detach itself.  (Yes, we live in the woods. Ticks are pretty common here...something to check for constantly). That certainly was not something we wanted to tackle on a Sunday morning when we were supposed to be preparing ourselves for worship and delving into the Scriptures.  But it kept my mind off of other things.

During our Bible Study time we prayed for others who are going through difficult times, both in health issues and other personal issues, but I didn't think to mention my concerns.  God already knew what was on my heart.  One of the members of our group...actually the only one who came today due to many of the others having health issues or other personal issues keeping them away...and this particular one was having her own serious concerns but she wanted to come anyway...she said that she wanted to pray for our family...and that she does pray for us every day...whether she knows anything in particular to pray for or not...and that touched my heart. I didn't HAVE to say anything...God was already working on it.

This eagle is a reminder of God's "surprises"

So after our service was over and everyone went home and we retreated back into our normal routine again...changing clothes, preparing lunch, etc., I suddenly thought of something I had totally forgotten about...a possible answer to my dilemma! It was one of those "lightbulb over the head" moments...you know, when the little light comes on and you have an idea...or you become "enlightened" about something heretofore hidden from your view/thoughts?  Could that have been an answer to prayers so quickly?  Could it have been God's way of reminding me to:

"Remember that I am a God of surprises: I am not limited by the way things are or by the paltry possibilities you can see.  I am infinitely creative and powerful.  

With ME all things are possible!"  (see Matthew 19:26)

I can only say that it was information that I needed to be able to proceed with "the plan".  It was the encouragement I needed to have hope restored.  

One of the other verses referenced in this particular passage from Jesus Today is Lamentations 3:25-26:

"The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

to the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

God has shown me through this little experience that I need to be patient and wait on the Lord to work out all of the details before I start making plans...but that once He has given me a dream (and I do believe it comes from Him), He will bring it to pass in HIS time.  I do not need to fear or lose hope when things don't look exactly like I'd planned or when the timing is a little off from MY timing...I just need to trust Him to work it out HIS way, in HIS time.  He knows my needs, and He also knows my heart.  He has already dispatched helpers to come to my rescue even before I knew I needed them.

Another portion of the passage from Sarah Young's Jesus Today #39 says the following:

"Through eyes of faith, see Me (God) on the path before you, beckoning you on,

one step at a time.  Looking to Me consistently will increase your strength and valor."

Yes, Lord, help me to keep my eyes focused on YOU consistently as I take one step at a time. It is comforting to know that YOU are already there, and that You have already made provision for ALL my need.  Praise God!  Amen.