The Lord feeds the birds of the air and gives us our daily bread. I am reminded of these truths these summer days whenever I sit out in my backyard and do just that…sit. Sit and watch the birds as they fly from branch to branch devouring their daily meals.  The orioles find the dishes we fill with grape jelly every day, the cardinals the sunflower seeds I scatter and all the while, He reminds me of how He fully satisfies us, knowing our every need.

Our role, if we desire satisfaction, contentment and peace is to seek the Lord and find Him just as the birds seek out their food. We seek, pursue, go after Him with all our heart and He is waiting ready to be found. He knows the way to our hearts!

The Lord desires to reveal His heart to ours so we cleave to Him becoming wholly His and walk ably in the way He has prepared for us.

When we have felt the sting of words or actions, we hurt and the tendency of our flesh is to (want to) lash back or seek retribution in some way. But our Lord? He calls us to walk a higher walk by living the love life and sowing seeds of righteousness.

Our job becomes that of learning how to tend our garden.

It is in the hard and hurtful experiences we learn how to tend our garden by showing love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and purity of heart. His words of truth telling us who we are, Whose we are will become our daily bread. We can choose to forgive and harbour no grudges so we can face the (perceived) offending party with grace.

When our words and actions are motivated by love we are sowing seeds of righteousness and the Lord promises we will reap according to loving kindness and mercy.

Hosea 10:12 is speaks loudly to my spirit in these days,

Beloved, sow for yourself according to righteousness, uprightness and right standing with Me. Don’t allow circumstances to rob you of the blessing of obedience and reaping according to mercy and loving kindness. Allow that uncultivated ground to be broken up, for it is time to seek Me, to inquire for and of Me and to not look at what you see in the natural.  I want you to walk in My favour. I am with you to teach you of righteousness when it is hard and unnatural for you. I want to rain down upon you My righteous gift of salvation.

When ‘stuff’ happens in our relationships, we need to not be afraid to communicate with one another and take a first step in breaking up the barren and hard ground between us so life grows. This is the garden that we tend.

We ‘tend’ the garden, we don’t just rush in and step all over the little shoots of life with no regard. This is why holding our peace is so important. Its easy to rush in when we are all upset and hurt and just make a mess of what could become a beautiful garden, what is a beautiful garden even in the small beginning stages.

When we ignore the hurt and harden our hearts toward the other person, the ground separating us is dry and barren, rocky soil where nothing good can grow.

The ground needs watering from the Well of the Word of Life. How we tend our garden will determine the seed that is planted. When we sow according to love we will have love seeds to plant so life flourishes. These seeds become available to us when we have spent time in the presence of Jehovah Shalom.

The seeds aren’t just tossed to the ground like so many wild flower seeds. The seeds are held as the  ground is prayerfully prepared and then planted with love, grace and mercy. Someone has to take the first step in cultivating the ground when misunderstanding has caused an offense to want to lodge in our hearts.

Our hearts are the ‘lodge’ of Christ, the ‘lodge’ of our hearts is where He abides and there is only room for His love.

As we hold fast, holding our peace and waiting upon the Lord, we are holding fast to love and mercy, to righteousness and justice. The peace of God will rule our hearts, will be the umpire of our hearts as we move towards the other with grace, peace, mercy and love.

The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower and when we, His beloved, run into it we are saved. Saved to become wholly His with nothing lacking and every good and perfect gift within reach.

When we run to the Lord when we been hurt, as much as we try to ‘hold or keep’ our peace, His greater Peace, the very Presence of Jehovah Shalom overshadows us and becomes the essence of our peace. His peace, like a balm soothes our wounded soul and directs our thoughts into the Word of the Lord.

As much as the Father delights in us as we lean into Him, I believe we capture His attention and He is riveted upon us when we are willing to walk out into the deep with Him.

Our steps of obedience show Him we are willing to walk with Him in a place not yet ventured.

Lord, in my weakness, You are my strength. In Your High Tower not only am I safe, but I am made strong. Father, I have concentrated my gaze upon the safety in the High Tower and have not contemplated the being made strong. God, transform me so Your Word runs deep. Deeper than ever before Lord and I ask that You show Yourself strong on my behalf as I make decisions pleasing to You and speak words that are upright, righteous and in right standing with You. Father, how I long for the consequences of my words to bear good fruit because I have planted good seed.

Thank You for unveiling Your word in our Secret, Sacred Place and for letting me see as You do.  Thank You for showing me why I felt hurt and then showing me another picture of where I stand in You, of who I am in You as Daughter of the Most High King. Nothing can remove me from this place. Nothing. No weapon formed against me can prosper if I hold my peace!

Thank You for renewing my weak nature by the strength and power of Your love words as I bind myself to Your words. Teach me discretion and wisdom so that the words of my mouth are like deep waters. Your deep waters, God so that the wisdom of my words is like a gushing stream and fountain of life whose waters sparkle with freshness, purity and the giving of life.

Teach me daily Lord to walk in the ‘so thats”~ Your plans and purposes!