“Then the Lord planted a garden in the east, and there
He placed the man He had made.” (Genesis 2:8 NLT)
They say that life began in a garden. We look to scripture and see it’s true. And though Adam and Eve were ousted from Eden by their own sinful choices, it seems to me that the garden was never removed from their soul.
John Eldredge reinforces this idea when he likens our heart to Eden; wildly overgrown and deeply entangled by sin’s treacherous scar. Today’s short devotional makes me think of Mac and the Shack. Mac and the Holy Spirit spent a full afternoon in the overgrown garden of Mac’s soul, laboring to make some sense of the mess that had sprung up in the internal landscape of his life. It was wild and beautiful at the same time, and there was serious work involved in sorting it out, removing the briars from the buds.
Sin wreaks havoc in our garden. It dries up the landscape, invites thorns and snakes and stubborn weeds to take up residence. Only God can restore our souls to the vibrant, thriving space they were designed to be. Only God can coax the barren space to bloom again.
The healing of our wounded heart requires diligence. We submit to the Holy Spirit’s tending. We cooperate with the Lord’s leading and we agree with the prayer for us already in progress when we pray “Lord, heal my heart.”
“Her desert will bloom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there, songs of thanksgiving
will fill the air.” (Isaiah 51:3b NLT)
“You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”
(Isaiah 58:11b NLT)
O Lord, we see you at work in our heart and soul and we surrender to Your agenda in our most sacred spaces. Heal. Restore. Replant what is most honoring to You. Reclaim this garden as a place to meet with You. Amen.