In the Garden

I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses. And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses...

In my seminary days, when I was younger, I never could understand the popularity of this old hymn. It didn't seem to be particularly Biblically-based or theologically accurate, so what was it doing in the hymnal? (I confess that I sometimes dealt with boring sermons by thumbing through the hymnal and analyzing the theology of the hymns therein.) Come, on? Dew on the roses? Voice of woe? What was that all about, anyway? But it was a favorite of my parents and grandparents, and I gained a greater appreciation for it when I read about the "story behind the song", which was the song was meant to express the thoughts and feelings of Mary Magdalene on that first Easter morning, when she found the tomb empty and encountered the risen Christ. That explanation of the song may be apocryphal, but that doesn't change its significance. Stories don't have to be factually correct to be true.

The hymn resonates with so many because it is not about theology or logic. Rather, it expresses emotion and longing for relationship and companionship with God. Now that I have my own garden, I too find myself drawn to come and sit and listen for the voice of God...and find that it is there.

"And he walks with me, and he talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known."