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

I’d stay in the garden with Him though the night around me be falling
but He bids me go…thru’ the voice of woe His voice to me is calling

~~  Penned by C. Austin Miles  ~~

This song is very precious to me.  It reminds me of sitting in church with my grandmother eating half of a stick of gum, hearing her sweet voice singing the hymns. Hymns are such a big part of my childhood and my relationship with my Savior. Music has always moved me to tears and He uses it to break me so He can put me back together as He wants to.

In April of 1912, a man by the name of C. Austin Miles, wrote this beautiful song of  tribute to Jesus. He opened his Bible to the Book of John, chapter 20. He related how he became a part of this story, a silent witness to this dramatic moment in Mary’s life.

He said,
he saw himself standing at the entrance of the garden, looking at the winding path, shaded by olive trees. Mary, dressed in white, walks slowly into the shadows and she comes to the Tomb. She looks in it and hurries away. John, in a flowing robe, appeared looking at the tomb, then Peter enters the tomb followed by John. As they depart, Mary reappears. She’s leaning on the tomb and weeping. And as she turns around, Jesus is standing there. She looks in His face and cries, Rabboni!

Can you even imagine? Walking through the garden, Jesus is there. He takes your hand and walks with you, even stopping and smelling the roses, still wet with dew. He talks with you about whatever is on your mind. All your worries fall off your shoulders at the sound of His sweet voice. His voice audibly heard, not just whispers to the heart. He tells you that you are His, and that He loves you with an everlasting love. He is not in a hurry and just spends time with you. Joy, sweet joy is all you feel. As you sit with Him, you can think of nothing else, and no moment even compares to this.

Friend, you can walk with Him everyday. He waits to spend time with you. The moment your feet hit the floor, He is listening. All you have to do is call His name. Jesus longs to fill you with joy, to take all your worries and cares from you. He died for you! And, yes, the tomb WAS empty and, yes, He went to prepare a place for you in Heaven. In the waiting, before we actually meet Him face to face, we seek Him and we find Him, waiting to walk with us in our own garden.

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Let us pray: Dear Precious Lord, You are our Portion, our Strong Tower, a shelter from this hard world. We thank You for Your faithfulness, for being trustworthy, and for interceding on our behalf. Thank You for knowing us, for desiring to spend time with us. Equip us, Lord, for all that You have for us to do. You long to dwell with us in the garden, to stop and smell the roses with us. You long to listen to our every word and You actually care about every detail. And the closer we walk with You, the more we hear Your sweet voice. We love You and we praise You! In Your Son’s name we pray. Amen.