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The Garden Wall

by Terry Barlow
12/22/14
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   As a new believer I remember one night sitting on a garden wall of rock (such a place of strength!) outside a Youth With A Mission training center singing praise songs to the Lord with my bride. I remember thinking what a wonderful way it was (and is) to spend an evening. I remember thinking that there was nothing we could be doing that was as important as that. In other words, the sentiment was: "It doesn't get any better than this! What could possibly ever beat this!? Nothing!!"  We had reached what seemed the summit of fulfillment in human experience. Those were moments of pure delight!

  Now My "bride" and I are doing this routinely. It is part of how we begin our day.  You and I are doing and being more and more that which we once only dreamed we would do and be, and is it marvellous in our eyes, or are we only taking it for granted, largely unconscious of it?   And so the Holy Spirit is bringing my mind back to that evening to remind me that as we delight in praising our God, as that young couple did that night more than forty years ago, we are truly fulfilled in life and fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. I have received my heart's desire! This is not to say that there isn't more to that purpose, only that this simple act of abandoning ourselves in song and worship to God is central to that purpose. 

 Just now I'm remembering too that the word "Eden" means "delight." We are experiencing a little foretaste of paradise every day as worship the Father and delight ourselves in Him Who seeks those who will worship in spirit and in truth together and individually. (John 4 v.23-24)  In Eden they walked in unbroken connection and fellowship with God until the day they were deceived, that is, until they took their eyes off Him Who was the love of their life together and altogether.