Dawdling, Dad would have called it. The times we shared over soapsuds, Mom and I.
But no. It was tarrying together. An important thing to do.
…
As I came to the end of the five-minute write about what made my mother mine, it flashed into my head (and oh, the wonder of it!): that it’s the same with my Love, my Lord. This is how I know I belong to Him, and that He is mine!
I share with Him what I share with no one else, and He can understand as no one else can.
He lets me know this. He tells me His heart, through the words of His love, his Letter, through repeating uncanny coincidences, and He presses the sense of it deep into my own heart…
This, I come to realize, is probably why so many have loved “In the Garden”…
They understand “…as we tarry there…”
“As we tarry.”
It was in the tarrying that we, Mom and I, saw each of ourselves as belonging to the other, ties of confidences binding soft, warm, and safe.
It is in the tarrying that I rediscover I am His, bound to His heart, dearly loved and safeguarded, and that He is mine.
May you find the precious time, friend, to tarry with the Lover of your soul today.
*****
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I am praying for time to tarry, too.
Yeah, Jen. I do know how that is. Prayer for you from here, too.
Oh, yes, to tarry. Life is not an emergency. It’s so important to take time to slow, to be – especially to be with Him. Thank you for sharing, friend!
Right, Mary, not an emergency. (We do tend to *make* it a series of emergencies, though, don’t we?) Blessings to you!
That old hymn brings moisture to my eyes. Tarrying with our Father brings a peace, joy, and better understanding of this world. Great reminder. God bless.
So so beautiful, Sylvia. I love this post! And I’m with Floyd… that song (and the thoughts you share here) brings tears (in the way I’ve been musing about on my blog lately).
Sylvie, a lovely post. I so appreciate the admonition to tarry–to remain, to delay, to wait. Yes, we must tarry in Christ’s presence, and also, I think, we must wait on Him instead of moving ahead, outside His will or timing. I, personally, love this hymn, and have very fond memories of singing it as a duet with my beloved father, who had a basso profundo voice. How I miss the sound of his voice. How I miss him.
I also used words from this hymn as a template for spending time with the Lord in what, in my book, I referred to metaphorically as “the secret garden of my soul–my journal.” I found it so fitting.
All that said, and as much as I personally love this hymn, I find it interesting that there is much criticism about it by pastors like Dr. John MacArthur, basically all saying that it lacks any depth of doctrine and good theology and seeks to feminize Christ. It hails from the era of the Gospel songs, when the emphasis, unlike old hymns was not on doctrine, but feelings. I point all this out, simply because these opinions by respected theologians exist. All that said, I still love this hymn, and I know that I was not close to Christ, because I was not tarrying with Him, and I was emotionally dead. I want to love Jesus with my mind, but I also want to love Him with my heart. If I feel *nothing*, I’m not sure what kind of love that is. And as a final little aside, I will say that I have no idea what C. Austin Miles meant by his line: “And He bids me go through the voice of woe.” I have no earthly idea what he means! =] Maybe this is why the song is often sung at funerals. Who knows?! All this said, I so thank you for the reminder to tarry, and I totally agree with you and others who’ve commented: It’s a beautiful song.
Happy Lord’s Day as you tarry with Him.
Lynn
“Tarrying with our Father brings a peace, joy, and better understanding of this world.” Yes, it does, Floyd. No waste of time, that!
Pam, that song moves so many people to that good kind of tears. I think such tears are a special gift from God to us who wear His image. Animals, I’m told, do not shed emotional tears. Jesus did.
Lynn, you’re right about that crucial tarrying that is waiting on Him instead of jumping ahead. It seems to me that He’s had me in an awfully long holding pattern here of late, and when I start feeling impatient, a reminder like yours is just what I need. Thanks. 🙂
Interesting info you give about criticism of this song’s lyrics. I don’t remember where, but somewhere I read it represents Mary in the garden where she was met by the resurrected Christ. How could that be without the emotion?
We can go too emotional-only. But we can go too cerebral as well. Just this morning in church I was thinking about why the song we were singing seemed empty, lacking, kind of dead. It was really just a factual presentation of a super-condensed gospel. Plain facts only. And plain facts to me did not worship make! How can we pour out our hearts in song, if there’s no heart *in* the song?
BTW, I would *love* to have heard your father singing. No richer, and well, deeper, music than from a good basso profundo!
Oh, yes, Sylvia. I love the moments to tarry with my Lord. It was so sweet this morning … especially as I have a very fearful challenge awaiting me this afternoon. But He reminded me that He is with me, protecting and providing. I wouldn’t have heard that, had I not looked deep into His word and tarried to hear His voice. Great thoughts here!
I’m praying right now, Beth, for your very fearful challenge. Glad you were able to tarry and hear! God bless!
I’ve never considered tarrying quite in this way, Sylvia, but I love it! Spending time together–this is the real language of love, isn’t it? Sweet thoughts, friend.
I love this Sylvia:
“ties of confidences binding soft, warm, and safe.” Beautiful.
Brendan Manning taught his retreaters to do breath Prayer with the phrase, “Abba, Father, I belong to You.” I’ve found it always draws me in safe just like your tarrying.
Thanks, Laura. Yes, I think that is the real language of love. It seems there’s so much to intrude so often and hinder it. I value link-ups like yours that bring us back to that focus of time with Him.
“Abba, Father, I belong to You.” Beautiful thought and words, Summer. So often I find myself uttering to Him, “I’m just so glad I belong to You!” And am I ever!
And Summer, on rereading, this morning, I realize that quote was exactly what I needed to come back to and settle down contented in. Thanks for being God’s pen!