Can't see the wood for the trees

Yesterday’s Old Testament reading set for morning prayer made me sit up and be intrigued. It was from Isaiah (which is one of my favourite books in the Bible). This particular verse drew my attention to the type of trees that were mentioned:

“I will put in the wilderness the cedar,

the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;

I will set in the desert the cypress,

the plane and the pine together.

so that all my see and know,

all may consider and understand,

that the hand of the Lord has done this.” Isaiah 41:19-20.

The Ceder, is a tree that can grow up to huge hights of 35 metres and because of this provides a good area of shelter. And, because of is size the wood was used to build huge things like temples. It is an evergreen and a source of essential oil.

The Acacia tree is valued for long roots that can stabilize the soil in areas threatened by erosion. The roots reach deep underground and therefore the tree can tolerate extreme drought conditions.

The Myrtle tree is an evergreen and useful for making oil to heal.

The Olive tree is an evergreen and extremely tough. It has the ability to re-grow even when damaged by fire all the way to the base. It most loved and known for its fruits and oil.

And then finally the Cypress tree, which is fast growing, but grows best near water.

I looked at all the properties of these trees and realised the impact of what God is saying in these verses. Placing the Ceder, Acacia, Myrtle, and Olive in the wilderness is setting up a provision for His people in the bareness and barrenness. Shelter, food, balm to heal, and a sign of endurance and resilience. These sources of life are evergreen, like His love and provision. They will not fade, He will not fade away, His promise is for ever, resilient, fruitful, relentless.

Then I realised that also God is putting trees in places where they are not normally able to thrive, so all may see and know that the Lord has done this. Like the Cypress in the desert when it likes lots of water and grows next to rivers.

What can we learn from these trees that God plants?

I love the characteristics of them.

Deep rooted, resilient, healers, shelter, a food source, stabilizers.

All things that are called out of us to be as we walk with Jesus.

Can we be resilient even when we feel we have been burnt down to our very base?

Can we be stable and frequent in our prayer life to sustain us even when things feel like they are falling apart?

Can we be a food source and shelter to our neighbours?

Can we be healers by listening and showing love to all?

What I am saying in all of this, is that all may grow with the Lord in whatever pasture is around them, even when it seems impossible.

And, in the impossibility, God shows us that He can plant things in us that we did not realise could be possible, He can grow anything anywhere.

We do not need to be perfect to be able to receive God’s love, but awake and open to His word, our hearts open to the possibility of impossibility.

The grace and wonders that God works in and through us is that all my see and know, all may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this.

All may grow with the Lord in whatever pasture is around them, even when it seems impossible.