Garden Water
As I drove into school the other day, storm clouds rolled across the horizon. No rain fell on my car, but I could hear thunder off in the distance. I thought of my newly planted corn at home. Would the rain fall there? Earlier in the day, I had run the overhead sprinkler for ten minutes. Goodness knew, they needed more.
All the gardening material I’ve read encourages the deep watering of plants. You don’t want to merely wet the soil or even only the top two inches of the surrounding soil. If you want strong roots which can pull many nutrients from the depths, you need to water long and slowly. The water needs to reach down . . . down, I don’t even know how far it should reach. I think it often correlates with the prospective height of the plant. In general, taller plants need deeper water.
Roots follow the water. Water both prepares the way for deeper roots and allows those deeper roots to flourish. If the water stays near the surface of the soil, so will the roots. Shallow roots can easily become dried by the summer heat, nor do they provide a strong anchor against winds and breezy children. Deep roots equal secure and healthier plants.
Soul Watering
My thoughts turned from soil to my soul. I wonder if there is an analogy between the length of prayer and the soul’s health and the length of watering and the soil’s health. I believe God’s grace surpasses time and human effort, yet He works with respect for our human nature.
More tortuous than anything is the human heart,
beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the Lord, explore the mind
and test the heart.
Jer `17:9
I have expected God to knock down the walls of my heart to access my wounds and weaknesses. More often, however, He has sent a gentle flow of grace into my soul, following the contours of my heart to heal and set me free. A deep watering versus a firehose blast.
What about the length of prayer? Certainly, the Lord’s favor shines down upon us. All of us. It takes only a glance upwards to see the light of His Goodness. His grace is like the sun shining upon us all. So, on one hand, even short prayers are so wonderful and uplifting. The Light of His face is ever above us:
He makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
Mt 5:45
What of long prayer? Prayer wherein you lay bare the recesses of your soul, slowly or quickly as they may come forth. Sometimes my heart is ready to burst forth, sometimes I’ve fallen asleep in prayer before I’ve been able to speak a few words. I have found that regardless of how I pray, longer prayer allows for deeper union with God, with healing and grace in the depths of my soul.
Watering Instructions
I don’t mean this to be a burden. Sometimes, setting aside time for deep and long prayer can be nearly impossible. I’m trying to type at this minute and a two-year-old girl has settled on my lap. Imagine my prayer times! I mean it as an encouragement to find time to be with the Lord, to allow Him to pour forth His Mercy upon you. We don’t deeply water our gardens every day. Rather, we are told to water less frequently and more deeply. I pray and hope that each of my readers–and myself–may find some good length of time for a deep watering this week!
“When you search for me, you will find me;
if you seek me with all your heart.”
Jer 29:10
