Desires of Your Heart -

God Grows Gardens

We entered the white-steepled church taking the back row. Feeling timid but curious, my eyes drank in the celebration, worship, and warmth of the congregation. The choir was a small five-person choir and I just loved them. I sat back there thinking, “Wow I’d love to be in the choir.” But a voice sneaked in. “You?” What to do when the desires of your heart sink.

Ephesians 5:19 instructs, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” Ephesians 5:19 NKJV

Isn’t it amazing that God calls us to sing!

I first sang “Day by Day” in the musical “Godspell” in high school. Thereafter, I became enamored with the idea of starting a band. My first – an all-girl punk band called “Raszebrae”. We did pretty well for an indie, making an album and touring the USA. Also, if you happen to own one of the 1000 vinyl copies you have a rarity. Next, I joined the rock poetry group “The Ringling Sisters”, produced by Lou Adler on A&M Ode Records.

I then met my husband and we had a band called “Holy Water”. We wrote beautiful music, put out a single, had a song in a film, and played countless shows. But after four years of ups and downs, we decided to call it quits.

So, singing became singing around the house, writing songs here and there. Now on the back burner, something I thought I’d never revisit again.

But there on that Sunday morning, my heart’s desire of singing welled. Only it wasn’t singing secular music and that old ambition, it was for God, for worship, this was different. Right there, God reached into my heart, planting a heart’s desire that I had thought was lost forever.

Although I was only in the choir for a year or so, I learned so much. My husband gave me a giant hymn book – “The Celebration Hymnal Songs and Hymns for Worship” and a George Jones “The Gospel Collection” CD and said, “Learn these”. And I did.

A few years later we moved to Georgia. Then my husband recorded his album “Chronicles 16: A Psalm In Rock.” I had the opportunity to sing on this. He is now in the process of writing and recording his next album. And out on the back porch, we wrote a song together for the album.

Just when you think that you may never do something that you once loved, God can bring it right back to you. And back to you in an even better way. I am grateful that I left the secular music business. It was not a healthy place to be. When I sing now my desires align with God’s purpose in my life. Whether it is in the kitchen, church, or somewhere else! God grows gardens in the desires of your heart.

The reason that singing did not bring happiness earlier in my life was that I wasn’t following God’s purpose for my life. Certainly, my desires were selfish. I gave no consideration to what God wanted for my life. I just made it up as I went along, swallowed by passions of ambition.

“Delight yourself also in the LORD and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4) That is to say, make your joy in God because when we do, God plants awesome desires in our hearts. The desires that God plants will bring us lasting fulfillment, peace, and contentment. When we find ourselves stressing or striving, God most likely did not place that desire in our hearts. It is a beautiful way to see what is true and beautiful and brings peace and happiness.

Yes, God grows gardens. God never disappoints so let’s fill our hearts with God’s desire and purpose for our lives.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4 KJV

God’s awesome transformation of my life is incredible. I demonstrate this through my heart’s desire to sing. With early days in musical theater, and then entering into the misguided years of punk rock and indie rock music. Only by God’s grace can I now sing with sheer joy – singing praise and worship music. Heaven will be the most amazing choir ever! What I learn here is God’s awesome way of transforming our lives. So, sit back and let God grow a garden in your heart.