A Walk to the Garden of Prayer

On By Beth AlisanIn Lessons

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”- Colossians 4:2

For years the discipline of prayer alluded me. I desired a more diligent prayer life.  If you’ve ever seen the movie “War Room” than you know what I wanted.  I read scriptures on prayer, completed Bible studies on the topic, and even purchased a fancy prayer journal.  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pray with consistency.  When praying, my mind usually wandered, or I was quickly interrupted by the needs of a small child. If my schedule got hectic, my prayer time would get bumped to the back burner. Rather than becoming a prayer warrior I looked more like a prayer washout.

Then the Lord handed me a puppy.  Not just any puppy.  A strapping Labrador Retriever who needed consistent, daily exercise. Now walking, for the sake of walking, has never been my thing.  I love to hike.  I love to run.  Walking not so much.  But you can’t tell that to an energetic puppy who needed the discipline as much as the exercise a walk provides.

So multiple times a day, I hooked a leash to Adi’s puppy sized collar, and she and I would walk the perimeter of our property.  Surrounded by the glow of the morning sunrise, the simple beauty of trees and flowers, and the sparkle of the stars and moon I found myself conversing with the Lord.  It seemed as natural as breathing.  With time, the Lord began laying the names of specific people on my heart with verses to pray for them.  And so, my daily dog walk became my prayer walk for friends, family, and neighbors.    My praying stamina grew with my puppy.  Three laps around the house eventually grew into three miles through our community as our Lab reached full maturity. 

I truly consider Adi my prayer facilitator.  Her need for a daily walk, rain or shine, fog or snow, ensures I’m meeting with the Lord in prayer for at least three miles each morning.   On these walks a line of communication is established that remains open for the remainder of the day.   Know that you too have been prayed for during one of our walks.

Be . . .  faithful in prayer- Romans 12:12

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
There’s a place that is wondrously fair;
For it glows with the light of His presence,
’Tis that beautiful garden of prayer.”

-Eleanor Scholl, 1920*

*Scholl, Eleanor. (1920).  “The Beautiful Garden of Prayer” [Lyrics].  Retrieved from URL https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/The_Beautiful_Garden_of_Prayer/

© 2019-2023, Lessons from a Lab, Beth Alisan.  All Rights Reserved

25 thoughts on “A Walk to the Garden of Prayer”

    1. Thankyou Pastor Pete! Several years ago while on a treasure hunt at a used bookstore, I struck gold in the form of a hymnal titled “The Singing Church.” It sparked my personal worship time as I revisited the hymns of my childhood and was challenged to learn new hymns such as “The Beautiful Garden of Prayer.” The depth of Biblical truths woven into these hymns feed my soul and lifts my spirit. I am amazed how repetition has committed many of these “new” ones to my memory. Often they bubble forth as I am out enjoying the beauty of creation.

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  2. It’s interesting to see what makes a habit stick. I also had daily prayer on my spiritual goals for a long time and it never stuck. And then, I was getting into my car to go to work, shortly after receiving the news of a classmate who had been killed in a car accident. From that moment on, the saying the Modeh Ani (it translates essentially to thanking G-d for giving me life that day) in my car, before going to work wound up being the habit that really stuck. Statistically speaking, driving is one of the more dangerous daily activities we do, so I felt like it actually made sense in a way.

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  3. Beautiful post Beth, I wanted to seek your support as I look forward to build a community of prayer warriors, would you like to join me online?
    here’s a link to my channel where I plan to post prayers like the one posted online, please visit, subscribe and let’s start praying for greater manifestations of God’s goodness and mercy for us, for our families, for our followers and for our community https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fetuHjfsro

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    1. Hi Sophia, I’m glad you stopped and greatly appreciate your invitation. I won’t click on links that are shared. However, if you could give me the name of your video I can search the title on youtube and find it that way. Thanks.

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      2. Sophia, I found it. Thank you for sharing. I love how you walked us the viewer through the gospels while sharing your journey through the months of your sons illness. My favorite words were tucked among your closing statements, “If you will go to the Gospels you will find Jesus there and if you try to seek him you will find Him in real life out of the text of the Bible.” Amen! Your testimony in this video affirms those words. The Lord is so good! I will certainly return to watch more of your videos.

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  4. I have been walking my Mom’s dog, April, while I am visiting her and have found myself using our walks to meditate on Scripture and talk with God. Your post really resonates with me as I’m reading it this morning. Keep up the excellent writing!

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  5. Beautiful Beth, I find I am talking to our Father pretty much all the time. As if He is right there next to me at times. It has become a habit that brings me peace every moment of the day. I am by myself most of the time in the flesh but in spirit He is always there. Such a comfort. Wonderful song in the video also.

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    1. Sandra, I love this comment! His presence is such a comfort! There is something about solitude and being in His creation that awakens my awareness of His presence. Now that my girls are getting older and more independent I am finding myself alone more and more. It is in that time alone, I find myself talking with Him and listening as I complete various chores. Something I would never have discovered had it not been for the gift of morning dog walks.

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  6. When I saw the name of your blog from your comment on my post, I thought you meant “Laboratory”! But I figured I checked out your blog anyway. Now I see it is Labrador! No offense to Laboratory people but I am more excited about Lab Retriever Lessons 🙂

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    1. LOL. You are not the first person to think this. I began writing and sharing these lessons with friends and family several years back. They all knew my Lab so the title Lessons from a Lab worked. When I decided to start sharing them on a blog, I just kept the name. It never dawned on me that Lab might be mistaken for laboratory until it was too late. I guess my blog must come as a surprise to scientists who come looking for exciting lab results and find a dog instead.

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  7. How beautiful!! We walk in the city now, which isn’t conducive to prayer unless one wants to risk being hit by a car. I like to pray when I’m cleaning, oddly enough. That’s the only time I’m alone. (Insert shrug…) Have a blessed week!

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