God meant for you to live with Him in a garden.  Visualize, join Him there.

Kind of been a whirlwind of end of summer with lots of prayer ministry! It has included 2 public meditative prayer sessions in a park, an overnight teaching retreat, a private ministry meditation session, an extended 4 day private women’s prayer retreat in Colorado, and a good amount of one-on-one prayer with people. It’s all been a rich creative time and learning experience; and a blessing to be a part of His intimate work in people through the secret garden of prayer!

For this blog, you can watch a slide show of God’s beauty on display with a few pictures I took while in Colorado recently. You’ll read some pure and holy promises. Read them, pray them, claim them, repeat them. Before you know it, you’ll have spent quiet time in a secret garden created by time with God. He offers supernatural life to those who join Him in His garden. Its a garden He fully intends for you to walk with Him, talk with Him, and live eternally with Him.

But first, take a minute to see yourself, visualizing yourself in your usual daily activities. This is to help you connect with how you rush and go and do. By visualizing yourself, it is kind of like an out of body experience. Start by seeing yourself wake up this morning and review how you went about your day today. Close your eyes and see yourself in your activities of this day.

How much of that time was quiet, peaceful and refreshing and life giving? Any time? Was it just mostly going from one activity to the next, trying to get through the day?

Genesis 2:8- Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

God planted the first garden. How very sweet and good of Him! He created it for man and woman, the work of his hands, breathing into Adam and Eve, the breath of life. The garden is for us now that Christ’s agony in the garden (Matthew 26:37-46) has been worked out on the cross. Oh how desperately we need to appreciate the high cost He paid to give us access again into the garden where we walk and talk with Him in the cool of the day!

In the beginning of time, God’s garden contained all that Adam and Eve would need to live in peace and divine purpose. The “problem” in offering that garden was that He gave them personal choice. God didn’t make humans to be programmed like a robot, programmed to just say “yes” to all of His commands. He gave humans a choice whether to listen to His voice and obey His instruction, or to disobey and follow their own way.

It’s not very hard to connect with the first man and woman. I see myself in them every day. I am very easily predisposed to choose my own way outside God’s counsel. What about you?

Through Christ, my nature to rebel is hidden. My life, all of me is totally hidden in Christ, Colossians 3:3. This is for all who believe! From Christ’s selfless sacrifice to give his life and pay the price for our sin, we receive life and life to the full, John 3:16-18 and John 10:10.

He also promises wisdom and knowledge not accessible anywhere else. Scripture says very clearly that in CHRIST are HIDDEN ALL TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. Do you believe that? Or would you argue otherwise? If you argue, you have discovered the Adam or Eve nature within you.

Colossians 2:2-3– My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Full riches. Complete understanding. Knowing the mystery of God. Namely ALL hidden in CHRIST.

If we really believed this, how much more of a desire would we have to spend time with God?

See yourself going through your day again. Did any thought cross your mind of, “I can’t wait to go recharge with God”.

If not, just simply tell him. “God, in the busyness of my day, I didn’t start well with you, I didn’t make enough time for you. I just simply pressed hard into what I wanted and what I needed to do. Have mercy on me. Draw me into quiet time with you. Let me freshly discover treasure hidden in Christ. Bring me into your secret garden.”

If you want a bit more, watch this slide show and let His promises penetrate. Surrender to the invitation. Afterwards, consider doing the exercise posted on 9/26/18. Linger longer, draw near and know Christ!