On my drive home from work the other day, I passed by a house where the owner was watering the plants in his yard. I didn’t think much of it, I had just made a casual observation. About two hours later, I decided to go on a walk to spend time with Jesus and pray. On my walk, I passed the same house I had driven by earlier and, to my surprise, the owner was still outside watering the yard! I thought to myself, “Wow, this guy has been watering his yard the whole time!” And at that moment, I felt the Lord say, “You are a well watered garden.”
It’s been a couple of days since that encounter and revelation, but I’ve been chewing on and praying into the parallels between this man and his yard and the Lord and our lives. In my chewing and praying, I’ve come to realize three (there may be more) amazing points.
A Labor of Love
The owner of the house spent a long time tending to his yard. I think it’s safe to assume that he cared about his yard and desired for it to be healthy. As a result, his caring led him to spend 2+ hours watering his yard. Immense care leads to profound action.
The bible also talks about how God is the gardener (John 15:1). Imagine, how much time God spends watering our lives with His presence, His strength, His power,…the list goes on. He will not withhold anything from us. God’s immense care leads to the profound watering of our lives as Isaiah declares in the book that bears his name chapter 58 verse 11, “We are like a well watered garden.”
Growth before Fruit
I think we sometimes expect too much of ourselves. When it comes to patience, we sometimes have more for other people, than we do for ourselves. I know that’s true for me. I expect to learn things right away and quickly implement them into my life. When that doesn’t happen, or I don’t have it all figured out on the first try, I get frustrated with myself. What really helps is remembering that I’m like a garden because I need to grow before I can bear fruit.
The key truth is this: just because you don’t see any fruit, doesn’t mean you’re not growing. Think of it this way. In order for a plant to bear fruit, it first needs to grow. It takes a whole season of growth, and then the plant bears ripe fruit towards the end of the season. It takes months (years for most fruit bearing trees) of growth before any fruit has developed. So be encouraged and be patient with yourself as you grow, knowing the Lord waters you well and fruit is coming!
An Oasis
“…[The Lord] will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land…
You will be like a well-watered garden…”
Above is an excerpt from Isaiah 58:11. I omitted some lines to add effect to this last point. I think it’s rather encouraging the picture Isaiah paints. Here we have two extremes, sun-scorched land and well-watered garden. At first thought, on opposite sides of the spectrum, but this depicts something that already occurs in nature.The desert may be the harshest on the planet, but if there is a good supply of water, plants will flourish and an oasis will form. A sanctuary for both plants and animals, allowing for ample growth and fruit.
It’s the same with our lives. You may be in a desert situation: financial problems, family issues, work pressures or anything else, but know this, you can be an oasis in your current circumstance. You can grow and you can bear fruit in your current state. The Lord is watering you with His love, His care, His blessing and as a result, you are a well watered garden.
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