I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
C. Austin Miles
We sang these beautiful words at our evening service last night. My supervisor had used the words during a funeral yesterday. I had not heard them before but I was touched by them. Its an old fashioned hymn - if you want to hear the tune that goes with it you will find it here.
The words of the refrain speak to me of the very personal relationship we each have with God. As we walk with our Lord no one call tell us what that relationship is like; no one can tells us what it should be; it just is. And that means we each experience it in a different way. There may be commonalities but there most certainly will be a uniqueness to each relationship.
My prayer for this moment is that we can all acknowledge our differences but rejoice in our commonalities. We have a Lord that loves each and everyone of us - with all our individual eccentricities. None of us perfect - ALL of us Rag dolls - broken and bent.
Amen
The photo above is of our front garden - taken a few years ago.
