As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.
1 Samuel 12:23 NIV
Gardeners, we have much work to do, and we’re not talking about weeding, watering, or planting pots. Why not direct our thoughts, while our souls are rejoicing in taking care of the land, toward prayer for our fellow gardeners — and non-gardeners, of course?
How mighty are our prayers! Today’s Scriptures collect powerful moments from across the Bible pages to display the impact of prayer — saving innocent lives (Genesis 20:7,17), sparing others’ deserved consequences (Job 42:8 – 9) and imparting deeper faith to those enduring struggles and outright evil attacks (Luke 22:31 – 32). “Far be it from me,” Samuel said, “to fail to pray” (1 Samuel 12:23).
Simon, Simon, how Satan has pursued you, that he might make you part of his harvest. But I have prayed for you. I have prayed that your faith will hold firm and that you will recover from your failure and become a source of strength for your brothers here.
Luke 22:31 – 32 The Voice
These pivotal testimonies inspire us to pray when tending to the mundane tasks of garden chores and remind us of our call to pray for others.
I found that working in the fields, working the land, working with the animals with all that space and sky, it all melded in with the life of prayer, which is what I really wanted, without anything jarring. I just found that it became a very harmonious whole and there was as much prayer going on out it the fields as there was in the chapel.
— Mick Hales, quoting a nun from Tymawr Convent in Wales, Monastic Gardens, 2000
We should think of gardening and prayer as synonymous, so that every time we reach for trowel or weeding fork, we simultaneously speak to God on others’ behalf, bringing their needs and situations before him as he has requested (Genesis 20:7,17; Job 42:8 – 9).
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, the gift of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Psalm 141:2 Jubilee Bible
Prayer: Lord, you have opened my heart to you, to your ways, your wisdom, and your Spirit. In response, I am summoned to your prayer service. May these garden beds bloom more than flowers, O God; may their fragrance be like the sweet incense accompanying prayer (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8). May they burst joy in my heart for the extraordinary salvation you bring through ordinary prayers. See that I don’t fail to pray!
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers
1 Thessalonians 1:2 KJV
The Garden in Delight blog leads you deeper into prayer this holy season: As the garden wakes up in spring to the work of overturning soil, pulling up dead plants, and digging spots for new ones, so let us put those shovels, spades, and trowels to work as metaphor and Dig into Prayer. At its simplest, prayer is our conversation with God—everything from quiet pillow talk to heaving cry—conversations that will grow more deeply intimate as we get to know and cherish His Words. Let A Lenten Dig into Prayer bring you close to Him and prepare your heart over 7 weeks for a meaningful celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
The devotional essays of A Lenten Dig into Prayer were originally published in the “Garden Tools” section of God’s Word for Gardeners Bible under Prayer, ©2014 Shelley S. Cramm. See pages a-37 & a-38 to study by the Book.
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©2018-2019 Shelley S. Cramm
