By: Casey Korstanje
Ah, New Year.
The mind turns immediately to resolutions. Things you vow finally to do this year. Things you promise yourself you’ll stop doing. Secret sins to repent, diets to follow, exercise to take, sloth to chase away. Excellent! There’s nothing wrong with introspection or changing the things you want to change.
Now, can you set all that performance stuff aside for just a few minutes?
Good. Here is my wish, my prayer, my hope for you in 2026.
Remember the song “In the Garden,” by Charles Miles. That’s it. My heart’s desire is that you find your way to the Garden.
Here are Charles’ words slightly edited by me to change tense.
I pray you come to the garden alone,
while the dew is still on the roses,
where the voice you’ll hear,
falling on your ear,
The Son of God discloses.
There He’ll walk with you,
and He’ll talk with you,
and He’ll tell you that you are His own.
And the joy you’ll share,
as you tarry there,
None other has ever known.
Do it, forget performance, stop thinking about yourself for a minute and go, run to the Garden, cry out for Jesus.
There He will speak,
and the sound of His voice is so sweet,
that the birds will hush their singing.
And the melody that He’ll give to you
within your heart will start ringing.
He will walk with you,
He will talk with you,
And He will tell you that you are His own.
And the joy you’ll share,
as you tarry there,
None other has ever known.
“‘Mary,’ Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, ‘Rabboni!’” John 20:16 (NLT)
In that one moment Mary’s life changed forever. All that had gone on before, the demonic possession, the deliverance by Christ, the horror of the crucifixion, the death of her Lord, and worst of all the unthinkable disappearance and potential desecration of His body. It took one word from Jesus, and then nothing else mattered.
“Mary.”
Run, run to the Garden because there He will walk with you, and He’ll talk with you, He’ll tell you that you are His own. And the joy you’ll share, as you tarry there, None other has ever known.
That’s my heart’s desire for you in 2026.
Run to the Garden.
Happy New Year!
