Prayer is a powerful thing. It transcends time and place and is the sweetest connection provided by God for us to draw near to him and to know His heart. Worship through song holds a place right beside prayer in my walk and relationship with the Lord, and I love when the two combine.
One of the things I’ve seen around the Illustrated Faith community is the use of tip-ins to write private prayers in the Bible in a beautiful way. (Speaking of tip-ins, have you seen the new ones Bella Blvd is releasing?! Love love love!) Many of you have written prayers to spouses or children in this way, and I knew I wanted to do the same. But I’m single and seasons away from having kids of my own, so I thought, how? To who?
When I first saw the Beloved Society printable by Beth Cupitt, I knew exactly who I wanted to pray for and where. The hymn in the one I chose is titled “In the Garden” which reminded me of a first a book called “Praying for Your Future Husband” and then a poem written by one of my favorite authors: Robin Jones Gunn.
Within my heart a garden grows,
wild with violets and fragrant rose.
Bright daffodils line the narrow path,
my footsteps silent as I pass.
Sweet tulips nod their heads in rest.
I kneel in prayer to seek God’s best.
For round my garden a fence stands firm,
to guard my heart so I can learn
who should enter, and who should wait
on the other side of my locked gate.
I clasp the key around my neck
and wonder if the time is yet.
If I unlocked the gate today,
would you come in? or run away?
I first found this poem in high school in the beloved Christy Miller series, and it soon became a precious prayer when I thought about guarding my heart and my hopes of getting married one day. I may not be married but I dream of it, and I believe that there is power in being a praying wife, so why not start now?
I decided to write the poem in the margins of Song of Solomon, a beautiful love story tucked in the middle of the Old Testament. I highlighted a few of my favorite verses and phrases with a paint pen, and secured the tip-in with a couple of pieces of washi tape.
Now every time I flip past that page, I’m reminded to pray for him, or the hope of him, and able to surrender that desire to Jesus. I’d encourage you to do the same. Whether it is a child, your husband, your future husband, one of the most powerful things you can do is cover them in prayer, even from afar or ahead of time.
And if you’ve never read Song of Solomon before, take a look. It’s simply stunning.
Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd precision pen | Faber Castell big brush pens in seafoam
Beautiful poem, beautiful page!!