My mother taught my sister and me this hymn as we traveled in the car. I do not remember her singing at home, but always on a road trip! She made me learn the alto part so we could harmonize.
Now if you are asking, “What if I do not have a garden, Molly? I do not even get out much to walk anymore!” Well the theme is about abiding with Jesus. Sharing your life with Him and discussing everything that occurs. Remember Charlene who was dying of cancer and told me she talked to Jesus all day long? ( see https://wordpress.com/post/treasures-in-plain-sight.org/8062) That sort of garden walking!
Reading Matilda Kipfer recently I was drawn to this Message version of Psalm 84.
And how blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel; They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain! God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!
Psalm 84:5 The Message
For those of you who are not familiar with The Message, Eugene Peterson published this interpretation in 1993, 1998 and 2000. Each portion took considerable time, thus the 3 dates.
The Message is a reading Bible translated from the original Greek and Hebrew Scriptures by scholar, pastor, author, and poet Eugene Peterson. Thoroughly reviewed and approved by twenty biblical scholars, The Message combines the authority of God’s Word with the cadence and energy of conversational English.
NAV Press Review
Reading the portion above of Psalm 84, I could just hear the song In The Garden. “Those in whom You live,” we are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ. “Whose lives become roads You travel,” yes, He walks with me and He talks with me. { Aside I once had a Lutheran minister ask if I really believed that. I looked him right in the eye and answered, “Absolutely!” } Yes, God travels with us. He will open our eyes to understand that if we ask Him to do it.
“In the Garden” was my dad’s favorite hymn. I can still hear him singing it.
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Thanks, Molly, for sharing this video of “In the Garden,” one of my parents’ favorite hymns as I was growing (along with “The Old Rugged Cross). Somehow, this version seemed incomplete without the final verse, in which the author expresses a desire to stay in the garden, but Jesus bids him to go. To me that verse served as a reminder that we are called to live in the world, to walk with Jesus not only in those special places like this garden, but in our daily lives. Have a blessed weekend, Molly.
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