1. Rest.
Everything that fills a garden need not be green or growing; sometimes a moment of rest is the best occupation for a certain spot. A break from the flow of foliage, a pause in the posies, gives a breather, both to those working and those viewing the garden. Musicians know this, holding back harmonies for a beat or measure, and gardeners do, too. We put big rocks in the landscape to anchor, to set apart or hold the line visually between elements…and then we literally rest on them, sitting down to briefly recover. And so the strength and solid stance that seems to be imparted from a rock adds a dimension of rest, a “do not disturb,” fortifying us in our garden place.
There is no Rock like our God 1 Samuel 2:2
Perch upon that rock, O gardener, knowing the strength and shelter of our God is similar, yet so much more yielding of rest. We are welcomed to enter his encompassing protection, his forgiving fortress, his holy presence.
2. Reminder.
Rocks also serve as reminders. Who loves to bring back rocks from the adventures of life? I have a rock from a ranch we visited, one from a rocky incline near a resort we enjoyed and one from the field near my children’s school (getting 5 children to school on time each day qualifies as an adventure!)—all special stories memorialized in our garden, filling our view with the encouragement of victory and happy times together.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12
Mark the triumphs, Samuel’s actions show us, with a remembrance of the Lord’s help; a secure keepsake to keep focused on the surety of God’s involvement, his aid and relief, his love and willing guidance, his winning and saving grace.
Want to rock out your garden? Crank up I Go to the Rock by Whitney Houston!
