The Garden Devotional by Kari Jobeنموونە

"The Garden"

Faith is rising up like ivy
Reaching for the light
Hope is stirring deep inside me
Making all things right
Love is lifting me from sorrow
Catching every tear
Dispelling every lie and torrment
Crushing all my fears
- From "The Garden"

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus ... perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1 Peter 5:10

I am so excited for you to hear this new album.

It's been such a hard season as my friends and I have written and recorded these songs. But in the middle of it all, I've encountered such a strong sense of God's presence pouring revival, healing, and strength into my life. It is my prayer this would happen in you as well.

The truth is we can all go through seasons of heartache and loss in our lives. We can find oursleves in places of grief, sorrow, and pain. Maybe a prayer wasn't answered in the way we thought it would be. Maybe a relational situation or problem at work didn't resolve in the way we had hoped it would. There can be times when we're left feeling broken by the chaos that seems to surround us.

But here's what I've found to be true: If I will choose to look up and around beyond the difficulty, then I'll begin to realize that God has been tending to the details of my heart and soul.

Understand that He knows what you need before you need it. He is like a gardener - knowing what to prune and what seeds to sow that will grow in due season and be life-giving to us.

That's what "The Garden" is all about - seeing the beauty and kindness of God in the midst of the difficulties. He's not distant or disconnected from our pain; in fact, He's been right here the whole time, turning ashes into beauty and bringing to life what's seemed dead.