“Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.” Song of Solomon 8:13
Have you walked around your garden hoping to see new life? Do you get excited in the presence of new buds and growing plants in your garden? There is a presence that is even better than all this and one we should nurture daily as we journey through life. This is the presence of God. How can we prepare our hearts to be in the presence of God and see growth in our lives?
Every gardener knows that half the work is having a plan and setting it up. Take the first step to be in God’s presence by setting a consistent time to meet with Him. We learn about Moses’ plan to be in the presence of God when he received the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 34:2 we see God telling Moses, ”and be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.” He had a set time to meet with God. When we are going to enter into the presence of God each day, we need to come alone and come with respect.
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.
Do you keep notes on the plants you want to grow, where they need to be and how long until they are in bloom? The same can be said for our time with God. Write down a verse that speaks to you. Journal your adoration of Him and keep your thoughts in one place. Go to God expecting Him to do something for you. In verse 4 of Exodus 34 we read: “And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning,…and took in his hand the two tables of stone.” Moses had a written plan.
When we want to be fully invested in a passion for God we need to worship Him and let Him know we love Him and stand amazed at Who He is. Moses knew God and worshipped him. Exodus 34:5 shows us this. “And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.” To worship God we need to know Him as revealed in His Word.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
To have a heart passionate for God we must confess and forsake the sin in our lives. Moses was asking in verse 9 for a pardon not only for him but for the people he was leading. “And he said,…Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin,…” We can observe all He is doing and has done for us. Moses was able to observe so much that God did for His people. Exodus 34:11 reads, “…behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite…”
I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; Through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
Passion to be in God’s presence does not come from a feeling but from having a plan, finding Him in His Word and worshipping Him there.
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.
