It all started in a garden...
From the garden of Eden to the garden of Gethsemane, to our eternal home in the garden of the Father, the garden has been a symbol or representation of our journey in this life. Throughout Scripture, we are encouraged to take root in God, to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength, and to anchor our souls in Him and in His word. Over and over in the Bible, we are also instructed to bear fruit. Bearing fruit or spreading the good news of the kingdom is a natural outcome of a heart that is wholly His. When we are rooted, sure and steadfast in God, we will impact the lives of those around us for Him; it is inevitable. We bear fruit when we are firmly rooted to the Lord.
In this book, Mrs. Owen uses the analogy of a garden to beautifully illustrate this correlation between taking root and bearing fruit. There are many different players and contributors in the garden, each one with their own job to do: pollinators, sunlight, water, gardening tools, and more. Mrs. Owen shares with us how, just as in the garden, each person in the family of God has their own unique purpose. When we all work together, we become a fruitful and abundant garden firmly rooted in God and bearing fruit for His kingdom.
"The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the Lord will perform this" (2 Kings 19:30).
This verse from 2 Kings can be understood literally as well as figuratively. Yes, God's people would once again plant and harvest the land, but they would also once again be rooted in God's hand, bearing fruit for Him. The goal of this book is to help us all become more firmly rooted in God and active in bearing fruit for Him, not from compulsion but from the joy of knowing our God.
