Grounded in God is a devotions series lingering in the facets of humility from Isaiah 53. Our Savior’s greatest gift to us came through His humiliation detailed in this rugged passage. Humiliation … humility… humus… hmmm… perhaps the garden is a positioned host to God’s purposes in humility, already grounded in humus-filled soil. Let these one-a-week, Scripture compositions draw you to 7 Words for simple consideration, cultivating a special intimacy with the Lord through the Lenten season.
Grounded in God
Out of emptiness he came, like a tender shoot from rock-hard ground. He didn’t look like anything or anyone of consequence— he had no physical beauty to attract our attention. Isaiah 53:2 VOICE
Prayer: O God, as I am digging the dirt, close to the ground, watching the tender shoots grow, let me think of you. What a tender Word of garden imagery you have tucked in the humiliated descriptions in Isaiah 53, a place for someone with a gardener’s heart to pause.
For before him he grew up like a young plant, like a root out of dry ground. He was not well-formed or especially handsome; we saw him, but his appearance did not attract us. Isaiah 53:2 CJB
Empty, dry ground—what better place for a gardener’s heart to meet with God’s humility. Dirt is our currency, the common exchange for all the growth and possibility in the garden. Isaiah 53 reveals the humble reality of Christ’s life on earth. Reading the Words of His emergence from the void helps us to trust His desire find us in our desolate places.
He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. Psalm 40:2 HCSB
…steadying my footsteps and establishing my path. Psalm 40:2 AMP
He reached down and drew me from the deep, dark hole where I was stranded, mired in the muck and clay. With a gentle hand, He pulled me out To set me down safely on a warm rock; He held me until I was steady enough to continue the journey again. Psalm 40:2 TPT
God’s Decree. “But there is something I’m looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say. Isaiah 66:2 The Message
that the humus, or the soil, comes from the same word. It’s the base from which
everything grows. Gardening and my spiritual life go together.”
— Mick Hales, quoting a nun in England, Monastic Gardens, 2000
“The people I value are not proud. They are sorry for the wrong things they have done. They have great respect for what I say.” Isaiah 66:2 NIRV
Watch the Lord transform humility with His wisdom and the fullness of His presence, inviting us to walk with Him:
When pride appears, disgrace accompanies it, but humility is present with wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 ISV
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:17 NKJV
He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the Lord is requiring from you— to act with justice, to treasure the Lord’s gracious love, and to walk humbly in the company of your God. Micah 6:8 ISV
Prayer: O God, gardeners learn that the important work of the garden is at ground level where plants are rooted, nourished, watered, and strengthened; captivate me as I work the soil this spring and bless me with your company in the muck and mire of mud season. May every event that leaves me stranded on the ground bring the paradoxical blessing of humility: planting wisdom in me by yielding to you (Proverbs 11:2, James 3:17). You allow my lowliness, but You don’t leave me there. Thank you for growing my intimacy with You, my understanding of the lengths you have gone to save me, and for filling my voids with your ways and humble approach—all for my own good (Micah 6:8, Deuteronomy 10:13).
Now in light of all that, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only this: to revere the Lord your God by walking in all his ways, by loving him, by serving the Lord your God with all your heart and being, and by keeping the Lord’s commandments and his regulations that I’m commanding you right now. It’s for your own good! Deuteronomy 10:12-13 CEB
Portions of this devotion are taken from, “A Gardener’s Easy Metaphor: Humus and Humility,” part of the Garden Tools section on Humility in God’s Word for Gardeners Bible, beginning on pages a-38 & a-39
Grounded in God is a devotions series lingering in the facets of humility from Isaiah 53. Our Savior’s greatest gift to us came through His humiliation detailed in this earthy passage. Humiliation … humility… humus… hmmm… perhaps the garden is a unique host to God’s purposes in humility, already grounded in humus-filled soil. Let these one-a-week, Scripture compositions draw you to 7 Words for simple consideration, cultivating a special intimacy with the Lord through the Lenten season
Photo Credits: ©Shelley S. Cramm
AMP notes Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
CEB notes Scripture quotations taken from the Common English Bible © 2011 Common English Bible, Nashville, Tennessee. All Rights Reserved. The CEB translation was funded by the Church Resources Development Corp, which allows for cooperation among denominational publishers in the development and distribution of Bibles, curriculum, and worship materials.
CJB notes Scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.
HCSB denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
ISV denotes Scripture quotations from The Holy Bible: International Standard Version. Release 2.0, Build 2015.02.09. Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
The Message denotes Scripture quotations taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
NIRV denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®, Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIrV” and “New International Reader’s Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
NKJV denotes Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
TPT denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com
VOICE denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
