Author: Gail Johnson

An Audience of One

/ Gail Johnson / 8 Comments

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:3

Have you ever felt like you’ve been dormant for so long you’ve forgotten how to bloom? Hidden beneath the ground, overlooked by the Gardener? I think we all have.

The Garden

For me, it’s the flowerpot labeled writing. This writing journey has been a learning process, and I’ve enjoyed every minute. Even when I get discouraged and want to throw it all in the dumpster. Because inside, I know the Gardener has placed me precisely where He wants me. This beneficial place I’m in, He created just for me!

But then there are days when the voices inside my head are louder than the sounds of the garden. I can’t hear the bees buzzing and pollinating my tender blossoms or the stream trickling and saturating my roots. I don’t hear the Gardener’s footsteps strolling along my path or His hands pulling the weeds that steal the nutrients He offers me. All of the comforting sounds are lost amid the noise.  

I don’t have many of those days, but when I do, I find the most enormous ravine of comparison in the garden. You know the one. You have too much to do. You’ll never finish this book. What makes you think you’re a writer? You are so far behind you’ll never catch up. Imposter!

I’m using writing for this article, but we all have those voices that try to persuade us the Gardener has forgotten where He placed us. Maybe yours has to do with your marriage or perhaps your job. No matter what area the tendrils of comparison creep into, remember you are not a happenstance plant. A shoot that appeared out of nowhere. You were transplanted into His Garden. He knows where you are and how much water and fertilizer you need to bloom.

That particular truth came to light while walking the trails on our farm.  

A Planted Tree

Last year, we disassembled our block and brick patio during the Christmas holidays. Brick by brick and block by block, my family loaded my beloved resting place on the wagon and carried it to the backside of nowhere. Last month, I walked to the branch with my dogs and was surprised to find petunias growing from the stacks.

Think about that for a moment. Blooming without being noticed by anyone but the Master Gardener. Truth is, we only need an audience of One.

Today’s scriptures continue from last month’s devotion and tell us that if we walk in paths of righteousness and delight in the Lord’s law, we will bring forth fruit in His season. Not our season but His.

Let’s look at how The Gardener cares over His garden.

And he shall be like a tree planted . . .

In his commentary, Albert Barnes writes, “It is not a tree that springs up spontaneously, but one that is set out in a favorable place, and that is cultivated with care.”

Isn’t that a transforming thought? A favorable place is a beneficial area. Cultivated with care.

A Watered Tree

. . . by the rivers of water

The Hebrew word for rivers is peleg, from pâlag. It refers to a rill or a small water channel for irrigation.

Solomon wrote about this very thing in the book of Ecclesiastes: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: Ecclesiastes 2:5-6

The NIV says, “I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.”

I’m sure you’ve seen irrigation equipment watering a farmer’s field. But what you may not have seen is the hidden source of the water. Picture a mountain lake that divides into rivers, branches, brooks, canals, streams, and ponds. Whether waterways are above or below the ground, all irrigate the land when tapped into. Egypt was watered in this manner.

A Flourishing Tree

. . . that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper

Gardening did not begin in Egypt but in Eden when God created the first garden. As we see in Genesis, a good gardener cares for his plants and ensures they have the necessary water and nutrients to thrive.

SURVIVE: to remain alive or in existence: live on

THRIVE: to grow vigorously: FLOURISH : to gain in wealth or possessions: PROSPER : to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances – Merriam-Webster

Tender Plants

If you feel like you’ve been ripped from the earth and dumped on the backside of nowhere, remember The Master Gardener sees you. He is sending everything you need to thrive. Delight in and meditate on His Truth. Walk in His footsteps. And you will produce a crop that will bring honor to Him.

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: Psalm 1:6a

How about you? Are you blooming for an audience of One, unseen by others? If so, bloom on, my friend. He sees, knows, and loves you!

If you are struggling to bloom. Take courage and rest in His hands. He knows the time and the place to unveil His masterpiece!

Hello, September!

/ Gail Johnson / 9 Comments

September is dressing herself in showy dahlias

and splendid marigolds and starry zinnias.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Hello, September!

Hello, Beautiful!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend. We finished a few painting projects and cut down a pine tree that lightning hit during last month’s thunderstorm just a few weeks before Idalia.

I’ll be back next week with a devotion. And please join me later this month for a new post called Fact, Fiction, and Friends with Dawn Kinzer! See you next week.

Six Ways to Delight in the Word

/ Gail Johnson / 6 Comments

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth

in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is

in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Psalm 1:1-2

The Blessed Man

Even though David refers to the blessed man, the first thing I noticed about Psalm 1:1 when studying the verse as a teen was the progression of the “unblessed” man who forgot the law of the Lord. He went from walking to standing to sitting.

Paul was right when he said to run.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 1 Corinthians 9:24

If we are running, and by that, I mean filling our minds with the Word and fulfilling our purpose, we don’t have time to slow down to a walk, stand, or sit because we have delighted, meditated, and made our plans according to His Word.

It’s when our minds and spirits are empty we get into trouble. Let’s look at David’s advice.

The Thinking Man

Delight: a high degree of gratification or pleasure, something that gives great pleasure

Meditate: to engage in contemplation or reflection, to engage in mental exercise, to focus one’s thoughts on, reflect on or ponder over, to plan or project in the mind

Many things can bring delight. Some examples are chocolate, books, music, fishing, and hiking. If we delight in something, we find time to think about it and do it as often as possible.

King David delighted and meditated on the law of the Lord.

I have always been a word girl. Words fascinate me. I bought a Webster’s Dictionary when I began studying the Bible and writing stories. I loved it because it included the etymology of the word. One word that stuck with me was the word worry. Every time I think of it, I think of being strangled.

Worry: to harass or treat roughly with or as with continual biting or tearing with the teeth (a dog worrying a bone)

Middle English worien, from Old English wyrgan; akin to Old High German wurgen to strangle, Lithuanian veržti to constrict ~ Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary

A picture is worth a thousand words. Yes? Have you ever felt like a matter was strangling you? What did you do about it? How did you overcome it?

I learned to apply scripture. I looked up scriptures and then looked up the definition of every word in that scripture. Hard? Yes. Time-consuming? Yes. Rewarding? Definitely!

So why did I look up every single word? Because the more we know about scripture, the better we understand it. We do not learn by reading alone. We must meditate on it and commit it to our memories to win this race.

The Successful Man

The Comforter also reminds us of what we have read and applies it to our situation as needed.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26

The Comforter reminded the disciples of what Jesus had said. We can’t be reminded of something that isn’t written in our memories.

In our changing times, we must study the Word because we need to know the truth. Only then can we run a successful race. I’m sure Joshua would agree.

After the death of Moses, Joshua was appointed to lead Israel into the promised land. But first, God gave him a commandment.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8 italics mine

The Hebrew word translated meditate in Joshua 1 is the same word David uses in Psalms 1. In their devotional Discovering Hope in the Psalms, Pam Farrel, Jean E. Jones, and Karla Dornacher said this:

“The Hebrew word translated meditates has a broader meaning than our English word. Meditation includes pondering God’s instructions, devising ways to follow them, and saying the commands aloud quietly. The word is often translated utter or mutter. Isaiah used it to describe doves cooing (Isaiah 38:14) and a lion growling over its prey (Isaiah 31:4). This last reference provides an apt image: As a lion growls over the prey he devours, refusing to abandon it to the shepherds who attempt to scare him off, so we should utter God’s words as we devour them, refusing to abandon them to mockers.”

Six Ways to Delight in the Word

Read the Word. Choose one book of the Bible to read or read through the Bible in a Year.

Meditate on the Word as you go about your day. Ask questions. How does this apply to me? What can I learn from this to become a better witness for Christ?

Sing the Word. Make up your own tune or listen to Hosanna Integrity Music. All their songs are based on scripture. You can also sing hymns.

Pray the Word. The Psalms are an excellent way to pray. Pray it out loud or write your own prayer based upon scripture.

Write the Word. Our senses work together. If we read, listen, speak, and write the Word, we are more likely to remember it.

Share the Word. Sharing the Word brings it into the light, helping it to grow in us.

Add your ideas of delighting and meditating on the Word in the comments.