Skip to main content

Days of Vines and Prayers





I moved to the Verde Valley in Arizona over twenty years ago and I got it in my head right away that I wanted a prayer garden.

We chose the spot, planted bushes, filled containers with flowers, laid the patio stones and even found a comfortable outdoor chair.  It took me several tries to communicate to the husband the picture in my mind of how it should look right behind my chair.  We agreed that the trellis arch in my vision would be a lattice effect supporting a grape vine.  It turned out better than my imagination! 


My prayer garden thrives not only because I meet my creator there, but I have harvested white and purple grapes every August for over 15 years!











A local TV channel featured Arizona vineyards recently.  The documentary points out that the Verde Valley in Arizona has the widest temperature range between early morning lows and late day high temperatures of almost a 41 to 44 degree difference which allow the grapes to thrive.

I like to stroll through the beautiful vineyards five miles down the road from my house which attracts tourists to their wine tasting rooms.  The grounds host a lovely wedding venue as well. 


We laughed that we were cool before it was cool to grow grapes here in the Verde.  For me, it started with a prayer garden!  Someday I will know the fruit of that too.



King David’s son, Solomon, built a lavish temple for the Lord.  I read in 1 Kings about the extensive details describing the foundation and all the precise tools used by talented workers to create the special house of God.


It took him 20 years to finish it!  Then on that great and glorious day, King Solomon gave a speech.

The king gathered the community of Israel together and lifted his hands in front of the altar proclaiming the greatness of our God who keeps covenant with his people.  "How can anything made with human hands contain such a great and mighty God?" Solomon asked.

He went on to pray petitioning God:

Lord, be with us and never abandon us.
 Give us the desire to do Your will.
 Let us be obedient to Your commands.


Solomon declared:  “The people all over the earth will know there is no other like our God!  May we always be faithful to Our Lord.”

Solomon’s words are beautiful to me to consider not only for dedicating a temple or prayer garden to Father God.  I inhale them in the inner part of my soul.  How humbling to reflect that we are temples of the Living God.  He is only a prayer away!


Can you feel Him?

Comments

  1. Solomon's prayer is so neat, isn't it? I am glad God is just a prayer away snd always answers them in his perfect timing. I bet your grapes are so very tasty!

    Betty

    ReplyDelete
  2. What is so beautiful about a prayer garden is the growing. The fruit of the vine grows and the blessings of prayer also grow. May the wind of the Spirit blow upon you in all your times of prayer.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I never realized the Verde Valley was such a hospitable spot for the grapes to thrive. (Perhaps, we should take a lesson from the fruit?)

    I knew you had created a special prayer garden, and thank you for sharing it with us, so I might visualize you at dawn's early light.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I echo Betty's comment. Grapes are one of my absolute favourite fruits! I love them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your prayer garden is wonderful! How sweet of the Lord to bless the fruit. I see lots of fruit in you, Smiley!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful, Mary! What a lovely prayer garden. I didn't know that Arizona had vineyards. Your grapes look so good! Have a blessed week.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful place to go and pray! And, YES, sweet friend, you will see a harvest of those faithful prayers. This is such a precious post...really blessed me and encouraged my heart. Sending you much love and gratitude!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a lovely place you have created! And I agree with Cheryl, those prayers have had ripples of effect in the lives of many, and someday you will know of them all.

    Loved the beauty and peace of your writing today.

    GOD BLESS!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a lovely prayer garden and I love the trellis with the grape vines. I also enjoy taking a moment to enjoy your ocean photo. Even with the waves hitting the beach, I find it calming. I liked your thought about Solomon's temple and being "humbled as we reflect that we are temples of the Living God. He is only a prayer away." Thank you for sharing with us here at Tell me a Story.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Its a beautiful prayer garden! I too have dedicated my garden to God but we somehow couldn't get to make it into a prayer garden like yours. We have tried but the sun is too hot for us to sit in the garden even in the morning.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your prayer garden is so beautiful AND so productive in fruit both produce and spiritual. I always love your posts Mary!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh my goodness Mary! I am in love with your prayer garden! How special and how very priceless! Now you know that means I need one too! LOL! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  13. I still remember the video you posted as you shared about your special garden and prayer time. How awesome that not only it is a special place to meet the Lord but wow! Those grapes. Yum is all I can think of!!! Beautiful prayer from Solomon's heart who knew Who the true God was! May it be all of us' prayers, too! Obedience...That is a beautiful fruit that I pray will continue to grow in each of God's children in this place and will continue to thrive in this trying, dark time. God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  14. A prayer garden! You are giving me some good ideas ♥

    summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. And He is with you in His words and heart, just like the temple.

    That prayer garden is so cool!!! I'm always moved by settings like that. That'll inspire you! It's great that you dedicated it to Him… no wonder it turned out better than you even planned. Not a coincidence.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Memorial Day Reflection

  Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls.  Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts  run through my mind.  The journey of loss takes on various emotions.  The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness.  In a split second, I would forget he departed forever.  I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home.  My mind is realistic now.  He's not coming back.  There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars.  He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day!  And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...

Mama's Lipstick

I always wished I could do things with my mom like shop in the mall, share makeup secrets or go to the movies and watch romantic comedies.  My wish never materialized.     My mama behaved like a tomboy.   She loved baseball and pitched with a strong right arm.   She could care less about the latest fashion or the latest movies featured on the big screen.   She never polished her fingernails.    One day after elementary school, I walked into the house to find my mom all dolled up in front of the bathroom mirror, foundation crème, powder, eyebrow pencil and rouge all over the counter sink.  “Who are you?” I asked, thrilled to see my mama putting on the Ritz.  Makeup in place and blotted, she immediately took it off.  “I don’t like the way it feels,” she exclaimed. She retired in Arizona and protected her dry lips with a light rose lipstick, the color of natural lips, a step above ChapStick.  She wore it a few tim...

Book Review of Biblical Minimalism and Give Away

What does minimizing look like?  To the empty nester it may mean downsizing real estate.  To the co-dependent, it may mean pitching some toxic friendships they tend to collect.  I thought I had a handle on Biblical minimalism, but I wasn’t even close.  Biblical minimalism is much more than cleaning out a drawer and discarding unwanted things into a box to take to the thrift store. In her book, Biblical Minimalism, Cheryl E. Smith defines Biblical minimalism as “a complete, whole person release of anything unlike Jesus, a letting go of everything that hinders us from following Him wholeheartedly and single- mindedly , and a relinquishing of all that brings us under bondage to this earthly, very temporary life.” The author gives us a visual of a whole pie that is divided into eight slices.  Each slice describes our lives with areas to analyze to see if pruning or adjustment is needed.  I won’t name them all, but one example is the “emotional ...