Song about God's Heart for Us
Listen to "Garden" by Matt Maher.
Reflect
Two things washed over me as I listened to the lyrics of Matt Maher’s song, Garden: The Garden of Eden, of course, and the funeral scene from the movie, The Shack. In this scene, the briars, brambles, and poisonous roots of the unruly field are slowly and expertly being coaxed into a breath-taking, thriving, garden.
Finally, Mack, the bereaved father, comes to recognize this tangled space as the wilderness of his broken heart. Watching the cultivation of this garden was a tangible way that he was able to bear witness to the healing God was attempting to work in him.
"You walk with me, You never leave. You’re making my heart a garden."
While I disagree with the movie’s depiction of the Trinity, this moment nevertheless spoke to my heart a truth about our good God. The imagery and possibility of healing for our own hearts, and our participation in that healing through God’s unrelenting love, are at the core of what we understand about Jesus’ Sacred Heart. As the garden is watered by the tears that Mack has shed in his lifetime, the fertile soil of the garden explodes with life. God’s Heart pulses with love for His creation, and that love cultivates life and beauty where seemingly only chaos and death exist.
"All the broken are mending, the mournful rejoicing, seeing through tears, of peace overflowing."
We do not all experience sudden clarity and healing, though every single one of us have experienced a grief, or brokenness that has left us in need of such healing. One fitting place we might seek that healing is in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Here we are assured of God’s burning desire for us and for our healing that only He can provide.
"Oh, why would I hide, away from Your face, when the light of Your love, illuminates?"
Let Us Pray
Steadfast God, You are cultivator and life-giver. When we feel that our own hearts have become fractured, draw us near to Your Sacred Heart and speak words of life to our brokenness. We ask this through Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.
For Discussion
If you were able to see your own heart as a garden today, what would it look like?
Where are you most aware of God’s pruning/cultivating in your heart? Where do you most desire God to be at work in you?
In His Heart: The 2020 Prayer Pledge // Day 26 #BISblog #prayerpledge //Click to tweet
Katie Cassady is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. She is a wife and mom to three little girls in Denver, CO. Steeped in theological reflection, beekeeping and motherhood, she is appreciative of any and all wisdom she can glean from those living intentional lives of faith. Find out more about her here. Read all of Katie's posts here.
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