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

And he walks with me
And he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

(In the Garden, by C. Austin Miles / Robert Hebble)

As spring approaches, I find myself noticing all the little things that make spring special. I notice there’s beginning to be more color in our world as trees are budding and blooming, daffodils and crocus are popping up all around, and the colors of many birds are brightening up as they strive to attract their mates.

This is the time of year when gardens are coming alive and new life is happening all around. Chicks are hatching from their eggs, calves, deer, rabbits, and lambs are all being born as springtime provides the best weather conditions for the animals to give birth, and the increased daylight hours means they have longer to find food.

Spring, to me, is a symbol of hope that beauty remains under the dead of winter, that there may be months of dreary days, but the sun will fill the sky again, and stay longer than it does in the winter months. All the new life that accompanies spring, gives me so much joy. Knowing God is faithful to give color back to our world and to have life spring forth from the dust and dirt of the earth yet one more time is testimony to His goodness and faithfulness.

Gardens are a blessing of spring, and a special place where I feel close to God. I love to walk in a garden in the wee hours of the morning, as the song above mentions, while the dew is still on the roses/flowers. I feel nearer to God when I am in nature, and in his creation, and I do believe God walks with me and talks with me, not in an audible voice, but He speaks to me through all of His creation.

When I think of a garden, especially at Easter time, I can’t help but wonder what the Garden of Gethsemane was like when Jesus was alive.

Was it His favorite place to pray? If so why? We know from scripture, the Garden of Gethsemane was on the Mount of Olives, a historic place of great meaning throughout the Bible, and the same Mount where Jesus also preached.

The Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus went to pray the night of His betrayal and arrest. According to the record of Luke, a disciple of Jesus, Jesus’ despair was so great that He sweat drops of blood. An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:43-44)

photo credit: K. Mitch Hodge @kmitchhodge

Matthew tells us…
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” (Matthew 26:36-46)

Jesus was God, yet he was human. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Mark 26: 38)
Jesus prayed for His Father to take this cup from him three times, always surrendering to his Father’s will. (Matthew 26: 39, 42,44)
He found his disciples sleeping and felt sorrow and betrayal. (Matthew 26: 40, 43, 45)

The garden was a place of profound weight, where not only a momentous happening in the life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ occurs, but also where we can learn critical lessons about what it means to be a Christian.

Here are eight lessons about Jesus, my faith, and the Christian walk I learned from the garden.

1. Jesus understands our weaknesses. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.(Hebrews 4:15)

2. Jesus understands and knows our pain. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 25: 38)

3. Jesus lives in us and is greater than all our weaknesses. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

4. Prayer is paramount in all circumstances. If Jesus prayed, how much more crucial for us to pray. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

5. Jesus surrendered to the will of His Father. God’s will is perfect. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

6. We can overcome temptation. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

7. Jesus understand betrayal. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” (Matthew 26: 45-46)

8. Seek God’s will first. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

I'd stay in the garden with him
Though the night around me is falling
But he bids me go
Through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling

And he walks with me
And he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

(In the Garden, by C. Austin Miles / Robert Hebble)

The Bible is the story of two gardens: Eden and Gethsemane. In the first, Adam took a fall. In the second, Jesus took a stand. In the first, God sought Adam. In the second, Jesus sought God. In Eden, Adam hid from God. In Gethsemane, Jesus emerged from the tomb. In Eden, Satan led Adam to a tree that led to his death. From Gethsemane, Jesus went to a tree that led to our life. ~Max Lucado

Sources paraphrased :

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