Sunday, March 6, 2011

Day 2

                                     You have helped me behind and before,
                                           And laid Your hand upon me....
                                  You have covered me in my mother's womb.
                                  Psalm 139:5-13
Do you remember your first gardening experience? I remember. Even now, the memory is so vivid that I can almost smell the early spring lilacs in bloom. I was just a child as I followed my mother into the freshly tilled garden. Mom was planting seeds--lettuce, radishes,peas--the first planting of our early spring vegetables. My job was to follow Mom along the newly formed garden rows to pat, pat, pat a bit of soil over the seeds she gently placed into the straight, shallow line formed by the garden hoe.
Pat, pat, pat, I followed along, gently and carefully covering up the seeds to protect them from harm. I took my job very seriously, and I enjoyed it immensely.
God takes joy in His gardening, too. When He first decided to "plant" you-create you--He began His task with joy. Read this once more.
Can you picture God at work? Can you see His gentle, loving hand protecting and cradling you? Pat, pat, pat. God covered you with His hand while you grew inside your mother's womb. The Lord of life gave you life. And all the while, He delighted in you--His wonderful creation.

Read Psalm 139 in it's entierty, and you'll note how important you are to your  Creator, how significant and loved you've always been--from before you breathed your first breath until now, and on into forever. See, too how your holy Father God stooped down to protect, lead, and  forgive you in Jesus. Plant this image in your heart today: God, the gardener of all that has lived and is living, loved you before  your beginning and loves you still.
Prayer suggestion: Try writing your own song (psalm) praise to your Lord. Then humbly thank Him for His everlasting love. Pray that you understand and accept His love in a deeper and more meaningful way today.<>  God's Garden