An Afternoon In The Garden With God

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


In the quiet afternoon I seek out my favorite spot in the midst of a serene garden.  Here I can find peace and contentment.  It's a place of respite from the craziness of life.  I sit on the stone bench and close my eyes soaking in the gentleness.

It isn't long before I feel a presence and God sits down beside me.  We meet here on occasion.  He sits next to me and we experience the silence together.  I finally turn and offer him my best "'sup, God?"  He doesn't respond but patiently waits.  I turn my eyes back to the flora before me.  He waits.  I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

I feel Him rise up from next to me.  With disappointment He turns to horizon and simply sighs.  The rocks, the trees, the stream, the flowers, the grass come alive in worship.  A song of praise hums from these inanimate beings.

"My child, My Glory will not go unrecognized.  If you will not cry out then Creation will sing the praise of its Master."  He turns and leaves me in the garden where the rocks cry out in my stead.

"I have all of eternity to sing your praise." I protest, promise, and argue in one ridiculous statement.

"If you can't praise me here and now, what makes you think you'll want to for eternity?"

"Silly Rabbit, it isn't about you." God

Luke 19:40
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."


What prevents you from worshiping God?  What excuses do you give to Him?  There are so many to choose from yet none will pacify Him.  In Bible Study we learned that God has a narcissistic jealous side.  He desires the praises of His people and He won't suffer silence in the presence of His glory.  


"The songs are too slow."


"His shirt doesn't match his pants."


"There are too many songs."


"I can't stand that long."


"My feet are killing me in these shoes, but these shoes are fierce."


"I don't like who leads the worship team."


"Sunday is my one day to sleep in.  I don't like to get up early to be on time for church."


"Did you hear about so & so?"


"Church is supposed to be an hour long and the pastor has been going over."


"There aren't enough instruments."


"You don't know what is going on in my life."


 Do you think God really cares?  Of course He does.  He cares about every aspect of your life.  Do you think though that God accepts these as viable excuses for not praising Him?  Time to check the attitude at the door.  It isn't about you, it is about Him.  If you can't worship Him because you are having a bad hair day then really do you worship Him at all?  


I've used excuses when I couldn't worship Him.  I blamed it on the leadership of the church.  I've blamed it on the hypocrisy in the pews.  I've blamed in on my schedule.  I've blamed it on my circumstances.  I've blamed it on everything but the reality of my failure to hand it all over to God.  God sat back and listened to my poor reasoning for why I was sitting in church doing my duty but not seeking Him.  He listened but His heart broke.  He sat within arm's reach but I failed to reach for Him.  To find the comfort, love, acceptance, and joy that He offered. He sat there waiting, knowing at some point that I'd overcome my attitude.  I'd check the attitude at the door and allow Him to fill the void in my life.  I'd trade the superfluous for the fulfilling.  


It doesn't matter who I stand, sit, or pray next to.  It's all His time.  It is about Him and me.  There is a direct line between the two of us that He allows His love, grace, mercy, and strength to flow through.  


I refuse to let an inanimate object offer Him more praise than I do.  He created me to love and worship Him.  I won't let a hunk of minerals do better than I do.

Heaven is going to suck

for some people.

John Newton wrote Amazing Grace but the verse that I have come to love is considered the fourth verse and it is credited to Harriet Beecher Stowe.  History of Amazing Grace

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less day to sing
God's praise than when we first begun

I can't wait for that day.  There will be no clock to tell me it is time to stop singing.  There will be no distraction from Him.  There will be no bills to pay and therefore no work.  There will be no obstacle to giving my everything over to Him.  There will be no more human nature to prevent my absolute adoration to Him.

I think there are many Christians out there who haven't taken into consideration what Heaven will really be like.  It won't be rainbows and puppy dogs.  It'll be an eternity of uninterrupted praise.  We won't magically love it in Heaven if we dislike it on Earth.

I envy Christian musicians who make their living praising God.  They spend hours in the studio repeating songs of praise and worship to God.  I know there is probably some concern over the timing, tempo, right notes of the songs they sing, but when God's presence arrives and they emerge themselves in relationship with Him praise happens.

"God desires and is pleased to communicate with us through the avenues of our minds, our wills, and our emotions.  The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the souls of redeemed men and women is the throbbing heart of the New Testament religion."  A.W. Tozer

I sometimes stumble on that unembarrassed part.  Not because I'm ashamed of my God.  I've gotten over being a part of the minority who will acknowledge God with their thoughts, word, and actions.  I can't sing for crap.  The best singing that I can possibly do is mime singing.  I can't hit the right notes.  I don't hear the right notes.  I hate when someone says "let's sing this next verse with just our voices."  My singing voice is as talented as my trombone playing.

However, if I embrace the true spirit of worship then I won't get embarrassed by my singing.  Worship is completely about Him.  If I enter into worship with Him concerned only about strengthening our relationship, finding His will, following His commands then there is no reason for my embarrassment. Sure I was embarrassed when someone in my life pointed out that auditioning for American Idol shouldn't be my goal.  It embarrassed me at the time, but now I'm thankful that someone cared enough about me to set me on the right path.  God is no Simon Cowell.  To which we can all offer an "amen" and a "praise Jesus."

"... God's highest desire is that every one of His believing children should so love and so adore Him that we are continuously in His presence, in Spirit and in truth."

A.W. Tozer in Whatever Happened to Worship