Carrie and I just returned from Nashville, where I was attending a conference for work. The venue was unusual to say the least. It featured nine acres of indoor gardens, replete with a winding river, cascading waterfalls, and 6,000 tropical plants including more than 200 different species! All the greenery and the sound of the water was so refreshing and peaceful to walk through at the end of a long business day. This natural setting reminded me of how and where it all started for us—in a special garden God planted for Adam and Eve. God’s garden also had a river to provide water to all the plants, and, much as we did in our hotel, He would walk through His garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 2:10, 3:8).
We know that all did not go well in this lovely garden. The first couple succumbed to temptation and sin entered the world, ushering in sorrow, sickness, and death. This was only the first time that people turned their backs on God. We read of many more incidents through the pages of scripture. But in Isaiah 58 we read of God’s promise to bless His people in response to their returning to Him and treating others with compassion:
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail (Isaiah 58:11).
In the old covenant, God’s blessings on the children of Israel were contingent on their faithfully keeping the laws He had established for them. You don’t have to read far to learn their record for obedience was less than stellar. He was constantly correcting them, then restoring, illustrating the futility of trying to earn right standing with God through performance. That’s why we needed Jesus! He passed all the tests people had failed and laid down His life as the perfect sacrifice for all our disobedience. Believing on Him grants us forgiveness of sin and the benefit of His perfect performance—like getting a report card with straight As when we deserved all Fs. As a consequence of Jesus giving us the gift of righteousness, the promises in the Bible made to the righteous are valid for every believer apart from performance.
That means the Lord will guide YOU always, and satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched world. He will give you the strength you need, and YOU will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail!
A well-watered garden is lush and fruitful, characterized by vibrant growth. Psalm 65:9-13 describes how God enriches the earth and causes it to overflow. It says the stream of God is full of water, watering the ground abundantly. We’re told in John 10:10 that Jesus came that we might have life, and might have it more abundantly (the amplified adds, to the full, till it overflows. God has given you, too, the ability to flourish and grow—like a well-watered garden.
Thank you, JB – great, encouraging analogies, as always! 🙂
Thank you, Kathy!