7 Gardening Scriptures to Ponder this Spring
Recently I’ve been watching a lot of this particular Youtube channel, and the creator talks quite a bit about nature and gardening. Her love of the outdoors has completely inspired me and I now have half a dozen ideas for our backyard. It also inspired me to write this blog post, 7 Gardening Scriptures to Ponder this Spring.
You see, I’m trying to be more intentional about sprinkling scripture throughout my every day life. Lately I’ve been feeling like a flower bed filled with weeds. Today I prayed that God would help me pull those weeds so that I might grow and bear better fruit. Here’s to a new season of growth, starting with the scriptures below.
1. “Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.” – Genesis 2:8
The first verse I chose for my list of 7 Gardening Scriptures to Ponder this Spring is Genesis 2:8. It all started in a garden. God placed Adam and Eve in Eden and charged them to take care of the land. Isn’t it interesting to think about how we started as gardeners? What a simple, yet hard-working life. I sometimes forget that Eden wasn’t all sunbathing and frolicking. There was work to be done. Beautiful work.
2. “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” – Isaiah 58:11
It’s important not to take this verse out of context, so I encourage you to read the whole passage. What this scripture graciously reminded me was that God is my provider, the source of life. When I am trying to do everything on my own I might as well be wandering in the dessert. Scripture says Jesus is the living water, and if my metaphorical garden is going to be lush I need to be in communion with the one whose waters will never fail.
3. “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.” -Jeremiah 29:5
Planting a garden and eating what it produces does not happen overnight. Gardens take work and dedication, trial and error. They are affected by weather, pests, and sunlight. It seems a charming notion to plant a garden, but gardening isn’t easy. Just like our relationships. Relationships take work, trail and error, dedication. Cultivate rich relationships by tending to them with all the care of a loving parent.
4. “…but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.” – Genesis 3:3
God gives us boundaries for our protection, not as punishment. When I was in college I learned the hard way that sometimes God says no to keep us safe. He also gives us free will, so we are allowed to ignore His no. We can pursue what may hurt us, but we will then learn the consequences. This Spring, be sure to stay in tune with the lead of the Holy Spirit. From what or whom might God be trying to protect you? He is a good, good Father who loves you. Listen carefully to Him.
5. “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.” – John 19:41
Spring is the ideal time to reflect on what Jesus did for each of us, because it is the season in which we celebrate Easter. Jesus was laid in a tomb within a garden. I find it poetic that something so horrific was wrapped in something so beautiful. We don’t know for certain, of course, in what type of garden it was that Jesus was laid to rest. But it might be a good practice to remember that garden as you are cultivating your own. Take some time each time you are watering your plants or pulling weeds to thank the Lord that He did not stay dead in that tomb.
6. “Awake, O north wind, And come, wind of the south; Make my garden breathe out fragrance, Let its spices be wafted abroad. May my beloved come into his garden And eat its choice fruits!” – Song of Songs 4:16
I once heard Lysa Terkeurst talk about how olive trees flourish. They grow best with a combination of dry north winds and salty sea winds from the south. I live in Kansas, so wind is something I know very well. Sometimes it might feel like you are being blown about by winds from all different directions, but God is using the breeze to make you stronger.
7. A fire consumes before them and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them.” – Joel 2:3
The last of my 7 Gardening Scriptures to Ponder this Spring is Joel 2:3. This is another verse I don’t want to take out context, so please read the passage as a whole. However, this scripture reminded me of what we have to look forward to. Sometimes this life can feel like a desolate wilderness, but someday we will go home to be with our Heavenly Father in true Eden. Let us not look back toward what lies behind, but towards what lies ahead.
Thank you for reading my list of 7 Gardening Scriptures to Ponder this Spring. For more faith-based content, check out these additional blog posts:
Scripture We Chose to Write on Our New Home
Establishing a Simple Morning Bible Study Routine
Hygge & Holy Spirit: A 15 Day Devotion Download
Helpful Scripture for the Lenten Season
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