Author: Hazel Southam, 28 April 2023
Bible Society is excited to be sponsoring a garden based on Psalm 27 at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in July.
Inspired by designer Ollie Pike’s reflections on burial grounds – scenes of sadness, but also of hope and spiritual refreshment – the Psalm 27 Garden leads visitors on a journey through pain to peace.
Ollie first heard the psalm when attending a funeral. ‘Its hopeful message was very comforting at a time of sadness,’ he said.
‘The psalm speaks to me of protection and to be hopeful,’ he said. ‘It gives a feeling of comfort in difficult moments and to have faith that things will improve.’
The garden follows Bible Society’s sponsorship of Sarah Eberle’s Psalm 23 Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021. The Psalm 23 Garden won a gold medal, Best Sanctuary Garden and Best Construction.
Psalm 27 is less well known, but it speaks to our times. It is a profound meditation on loss, fear and faith.
Bible Society’s Hazel Southam said, ‘The psalm is a song of comfort and faith, but the context is fear and doubt. The writer has unidentified “enemies”. There’s a sense of desperation, and of the unreliability of human help.
‘We may have “enemies” too. They can be people who don’t have our good at heart, or just life circumstances that make every day a battle.
‘But the psalmist offers a pathway to hope. In an uncertain world, he urges trust in God’s faithfulness.’
She added: ‘As we did with the Psalm 23 Garden at Chelsea, we want this garden to introduce people to biblical wisdom, and to help them see that the Bible can speak to them today.’
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