Interestingly enough, the Old
Testament also often refers to trees when speaking of the life of
true believers. There are many references, but I just chose those
Scriptures that I felt best describes believers' lives in relation
to trees. Here are a couple of them:
"Blessed is the man who walks
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of
sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is
in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings
forth its fruit in season, whose leaf shall not wither and whatever
he does shall prosper" (Psalm 1:1-3).
"The righteous shall flourish
like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who
are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts
of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be
fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is
my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him" (Psalm
92:12-15).
"Blessed is the man who trusts
in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a
tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its root by the
river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be
green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will
cease from yielding fruit" (Jeremiah 17:8).
Isn't it just wonderful how God
compares the righteous, His children, to trees? I believe that one
of the reasons why there are trees all around us today is to remind
us of all the promises that God reveals to us through trees.
Let us have a look at the amazing
promises revealed in these passages:
- He promises that we will have water, our daily provision, no
matter what comes our way.
- He promises that we will bear fruit, filled with His life in
order to be able to fulfill His will for our lives, even in old
age.
- He promises that we will not wither; thus, we will not run out
of strength and we will not stop growing.
- He promises that we will be fresh and flourishing; thus, we
will be vibrant, ready for any challenge, filled with renewed
life.
- He promises that we will prosper, that we will be successful,
following His will for our lives.
- He promises to look after us, that we needn't fear drought or
lack, He will always provide us with more than enough.
Aren't these promises just amazing?
What more can we wish for? We can go on with our lives truly
trusting God that all things will work together for our good. He
will be with us, and we will be fresh and flourishing, prosperous,
provided for, with enough water, bearing His fruit. We simply need
to take our relationship with Him seriously and love Him with all
of our hearts, souls, and bodies.
(Excerpt from The Tree
of Life by Ilze Henderson)