Like a Watered Garden

9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

Isaiah 58:9-12

When we pray, God blesses a right attitude before Him like a watered garden. It is interesting to note that in dealing with attitudes for prayer, though many of the Bible passages seem to say almost the same thing, each one does cover a different aspect of having a correct approach before God in our prayers.

Although there really is no secret formula in coming to God properly, the Bible continually reminds us that coming before God with a humble heart and right motives brings to us many blessings. Verse 9 speaks of putting away the yoke of sin that enslaves us and forsaking pride and criticism toward others. With such a humble heart, look at the many blessings given in Isaiah 58:9-12.

You will have an enlightened life continually guided by the Lord.

In times of drought, God will satisfy you.

You will have a fragrant life, freshly sustained by eternal springs of water that will never fail.

Your life will be productive, building up the old waste places.

You will build upon the foundation of many generations, and affect many generations to come.

You will be called a repairer of the breach of sin that so quickly separates us from God.

What a beautiful picture Isaiah 58 paints of the life that is totally and completely surrendered to God in prayer. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.

Pray today that God would be gracious to you, helping you to turn from sin and humbly seek Him so that your prayers, too, would be like a watered garden!