Have you ever stopped a moment to take a look at the grandeur of a tree? Trees can easily be overlooked. They’re just there and slowly get on with life in the background of everything else.
The Bible has a lot to say about trees. In fact the Bible is bookmarked by two trees in Genesis and Revelation. We live between those two trees. I highly recommend Shane Wood’s excellent book ‘Between Two Trees’ about our transformation from death to life.
Trees are mentioned throughout the whole Bible. In fact apart from God and people, trees are the most mentioned living thing in the Bible.
What is God trying to convey to us with so much attention on trees?
Isaiah 55:12 says “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands". ESV
1 Chron 16:33 reads “Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy in the presence of the LORD; For He is coming to judge the earth.” NASB
Trees singing and clapping?
Question - How often do we sing and clap before the Lord?
When you’re suffering, probably one of the last things you feel like doing is singing and clapping. But even trees suffer. They can suffer from drought, wind rock, disease and dieback and yet the Bible portrays this wonderful species as clapping and singing.
Let ALL creation praise the Lord! and rejoice when things are tough. Psalm 52:8 says “But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.” NASB
Whatever our situation, when we are in the house of God, and I don’t mean going to Church on a Sunday or sabbath, I mean in His family, His presence, His care, we can trust, and trust can, or should, result in rejoicing.
The Apostle Paul encourages us to rejoice in the Lord Phil 4:4 reads “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” NIV
Always rejoicing does not mean that we become stoic and just refuse to admit our lot. But in the midst of our lot, our suffering, we can rejoice. We rejoice with and by His Spirit in us and alongside ALL creation.
Isaiah 41:19-20 says, “I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert Together with the box tree and the cypress, That they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.” NASB
We see here that God is planting/placing trees in places that we probably wouldn’t plant them or anything for that matter. The wilderness and the desert, places that can be very hot, barren and dry. Yet these trees do well in these “suffering” conditions. Some juniper trees can incredibly grow out of a rock. They grow very slowly and can take 50 years to get to a height of 5ft but its root system is its secret reaching out over 100 feet to find moisture. If you think you’re progressing slowly in your life then think about the juniper tree, be patient where God has planted you.
Juniper tree
The key for all of us who are suffering under difficult circumstances, is to tap into the Living Water of God. “…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” John 4:14 NKJV
“Whoever believes in me,” as Scripture says, “rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:38 NIV
If we can draw from Him then we can survive in this place and season and we can grow, however slow it may be. It’s in those places that resilience is birthed. It’s in those places that we have to put our roots down incredibly deep.
It has been said that we should flourish were we are planted.
Maybe you, like us, have been placed/planted in difficult circumstances.
God by His Spirit will help in those difficult times. He will cause growth in the proper time. Let us trust Him even when all the odds seem stacked against us. When we feel isolated and alone, let us draw from Him, just as the juniper puts its roots down deep to find life giving water.
Why not go outside today and take a moment to look at the trees. How strong, how awesome, how majestic they are. Some of them have endured years and years of the elements, surviving them all and stand tall and strong as a witness of that. With God, we too, can survive the things this life hands us.
Let’s not worship creation but rather look beyond it to the one who sustains it all, including you and I.
Prayer - Lord, we thank You for allowing us to share in Your wonderful creation. It teaches us so much and indeed declares Your mighty handiwork. Help us to draw from Your life giving Spirit as the trees draw water from far below. Amen
Visiting a forest park in the Austrian alps last week we came across a leaflet on the wonder of trees, which pointed out that even in death there is an incredible amount of life in a tree. The rotting trunk supports a wide range of different life forms through each stage of its decay.. Not sure how this relates to spiritual life but it does tell us a lot about the amazing work of our Creator God who has made all things well.