Mensa Otabil - God's Garden
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God wants to make a beautiful thing out of your life. Ezekiel chapter 34, verse 29: «I’ll raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore.»
Ezekiel, whom God used for this prophecy, prophesied to Israel at a time of hardship during the captivity in Babylon. The people of Israel, while in captivity, especially in Babylon, faced oppression, while Nebuchadnezzar had a fabulous garden. This prophecy conveys that God is saying, «I’ll raise you up as a garden.» He wants to make your life as beautiful as those gardens.If you believe your life is not beautiful or wasted, God says, «I want to make your life beautiful. I want to raise you up in a beautiful way, in an honorable way.» So, how does God make us into a beautiful garden? First, He chooses us. Just as a gardener chooses the flower he is going to plant, God chooses us. His hand is upon you; He wants to use you. There is something beautiful and noble about your life. You may not see all the nice things in your life; you may see only slavery, rottenness, sinfulness, hardship, poverty, and fear. But God sees beauty in you, and He chooses you because He wants to do something wonderful with your life.
Not only does He choose you, but He also plants you. When God chooses us, He plants us; He places us in the right place, a place where we can bloom and blossom. This year, I pray that God will plant you in a habitable spot, a place where your best will show forth, where you will blossom, where you’ll flourish, and where your best will come out, because there is something in you that God wants to bring to the world’s notice.
Then, He nurtures us. Every flower goes through nurturing, as there will be all kinds of insects and various things trying to eat up this beautiful flower. But God is the protector of the beauty He has placed in you. He is making your life into a beautiful garden; He is cultivating you, watering your life. Sometimes, even your hardship may be part of the watering. Sometimes, difficulty may be the fertilizer that God is placing in your life so that you will come out, shine, and blossom, revealing your true colors and true beauty to the world.
God chose you, and He has planted you in the right spot. There is a place on earth where you will flourish, and God will put you there. God nurtures you, and after He has done all of that, He reveals us-taking us out to make a show and say, «Come see my garden! Come and see this beautiful spot! Come and see this beautiful flower!» May the Lord do that with your life. May He advertise the beauty He is working in you, and may the world come to see the glory of God shining out of you.
Today, all that you see may be the ground you’re planted in, and it may be rocky or full of fertilizer-it may not smell or look good. But just give the Lord time with what He is doing in you, through you, and with you, and when He is finished, you’ll be more beautiful than the gardens of Nebuchadnezzar. That’s what He is saying to Israel, and that is what He is saying to you. You will be more beautiful than the most beautiful flowers out there because God wants to bring beauty out of your life. Today, I pray that everything in you, all the goodness in you, all the beauty in you, will flourish, that where God has planted you, He will cause you to grow in that place, and He’ll cause beauty to come out of your life in Jesus' name.
Let us pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, you have planted me for beauty and honor. Let your beauty be seen through me. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.