THE LORD'S GARDENS

                                                            THE LORD'S GARDENS

    The wonders and excitement of Christmas and New Year observances are past, and we usually settle down now to attempt to "ride out" the cold, ice and snow of January and
February. But, wait!!! We have a subject the Lord gave us to lift the depressing days of long darkness and cold!

    We need to go way back to the Old Testament and the Book of Genesis. The first thing God did after creating  man was to plant a garden. (Gen. 2:8) If we pay attention going
through scripture, we learn God used seeds and plants in much of his teaching. These are things we can see and use to understand His instruction. We have become more of an urban society, but we farm and rural folks still have an opportunity to put the teaching to work.

    Early in our history gardening was a necessity for many people. The ultimate value of a garden became vividly apparent during World War II. With millions of men and women in uniform or working as civilian support, farmers needed help to produce enough food to feed these defenders of freedom. War stamps and war bonds were important tools for raising funds to finance the war effort, but the Victory Garden effort enabled anyone with access to a small plot of land to join the effort at little cost except time and sweat.

    More on that later, but now I want to refer to the delightful arrivals of seed catalogs in our mailboxes. They do the most to cheer me up on these long days of Winter. I can study and plan for my future garden, learn about new varieties and pick up some tips on doing a better job. This has special meaning for me this year, because there was a period of time when I wasn't sure I would be able to have a garden.

    My gardening experience began very early, when I was  about five years' old. My grandparents and parents always had a garden, but until that year, I didn't make the connection between the garden and things I like to eat. I watched the preparation of the land with tractor and tillage equipment, and then further preparation of the soil with hand tools. My parents told me I could have a small garden of my own if I would take care of it. I was hooked for life!

    I received instruction about seeds and plants. Some varieties of plants such as tomatoes and cabbage we secured by buying started plants. You had to plant these seeds long before the weather and soil was warm enough in western New York. I needed a little help for these, but handled the seeds just fine. I ruled my first garden a success, and I was proud.

    Two years' later, the war was on, and gardening became a major effort, even for those who had never gardened before. By now I had a good-sized garden, about a fourth as large as my parents. I kept it neat and weed free. I received the coveted large certificate bearing the "V", signifying I had indeed grown a garden. My disappointment was that although I admired the large red tomatoes I had grown, I didn't like the flavor. In my
early teen years, for whatever reason, they tasted good, and have been a favorite ever since.

    Now back to seeds and plants, and how God used them for examples to us. Christ told His disciples in Matt. 17:20, "if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,  Move from here to there,' and it will move;". Here we get a good idea of something very tiny that seems insignificant, but can become large and meaningful. We also should understand that we could move a mountain with that faith. That seems 
impossible when you think about it, which explains why we aren't out there moving mountains. We immediately have doubt, and that reduces our faith power. If we pray for someone, but have doubt in our mind, the power of faith is short circuited, and just like electricity, the object won't work, or the problem will not be permanently fixed.

    When we receive the colorful seed catalogs, we see in our mind's eye beautiful plants and fruit. When we plant and tend the garden, our faith in the result remains strong. We expect the plants to grow and provide fruit. We have faith in the seeds and plants largely because we have seen the success. If we desire answer to prayer to be successful, we must have that same depth of faith. 

    Sometimes plants don't grow well or die from disease. Not everything in a garden may turn out as we planned. So, too, answers to prayers in life may seem to fail, although faith is  strong. Prayer can change God's plan if He so wills it, and we must understand He has a purpose for everything, and  everything is in His control. 

    The word "purpose" is a life changing element. We all have a purpose, or as Christians understand it, a spiritual gift or two. When we deviate from our purpose, we short circuit our faith, and fall short of positive results. Prayer is all powerful, but it must come from a sincere faith. We all sin occasionally, but when we deliberately do something wrong and know better, we damage faith power. This is like being careless with your garden, not weeding, not irrigating, etc. What you see happen with your garden from not being a faithful caretaker may happen when you pray. 

     When you plant lettuce, tomatoes, corn or cabbage, you expect a tasty positive outcome. Tending the garden is your path of faith,  just as your everyday life is your path of faith to the Father, Son  and Holy Spirit. Enjoy the colorful garden catalogs, and spend 
these cold winter evenings planning and expecting the satisfaction of watching God's miracles as your garden grows.

Rev. Walbear