Cistern & Grove: What’s in a Name?
My husband and I went through dozens and dozens of name choices (some pretty humorous like “Brunhilde Business” after our sweet 150 lb. mastiff) before finally deciding on Cistern & Grove.
A cistern is a stone reservoir used as a well for water and sometimes for underground storage of other goods. And a grove is a well-tended field of fruit trees. These two words are seen together in a few places in the Old Testament. The references each concern Israel and the land God prepared for them to live in.
Having been freed from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites wandered in the desert. God promised them long before they entered the Promised Land He would take care of them when they arrived there. He gave them complete houses, already carved cisterns, groves of olive producing trees and fruitful vineyards. He tells them to eat and be satisfied.
“… They took possession of houses full of every good thing, hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, fruit trees in abundance….” Nehemiah 9:35 NASB
As is often the case though, they didn’t immediately live happily ever after. Initially, they struggled take hold of what God had given them. Even though they had abundance, they had to work to maintain and harvest it. They had to learn how to make it flourish and last. Generations later following wars and exiles from that fruitful land, they came back to see it had fallen into less than desirable shape. They were overwhelmed, but God did not leave them alone and empty-handed to rebuild on their own – He sent help!
If you would like to know more of that part of the story, I encourage you to read through the biblical book of Nehemiah. But, for now, I leave you with this.
I believe God has given each of us cisterns and groves, both for our sustenance and maintenance. Unless we have a family farm, that may not look like water wells and fruit trees, but He has given us what we need, and if we are honest, most of what we want as well. It is up to us to accept the responsibility of managing it.
We must employ our efforts to maintain and grow what He gave us so those foundational gifts continue to be a source of blessing. At Cistern & Grove, it is our passion and joy to help you do just that! I want to walk with your family. I want to help you create plans to make what God has given you thrive, so that you and your children will see water from those cisterns and fruit from those groves for years to come!
“… They took possession of houses full of every good thing, hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, fruit trees in abundance….” Nehemiah 9:35 NASB
