We lived in an area for several years where we were greeted each fall day by the beautiful turning foliage.
After being raised in the desert, this was quite a sight to behold. Most of those days I would walk our youngest daughter either to or from school and I would just soak in the beauty.
It wasn’t just the color of the leaves that intrigued me but also the size of the trees. How many winters they endured when the climate was chilling. The years they stood tall and stately in the pouring spring rains. How many times did they provide shade for summer picnics, games of tag and laying on the grass beneath their boughs.
Then Autumn comes and their leaves would turn from green to yellow and gold. In a matter of weeks they would be standing bear to face another winter. Their seasonal transformation is a sign of God’s faithfulness. And it gives me reason to be thankful.
“Great blessings belong to those
who don’t listen to evil advice,
who don’t live like sinners,
and who don’t join those who make fun of God.
2 Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings
and think about them day and night.
3 So they grow strong,
like a tree planted by a stream—
a tree that produces fruit when it should
and has leaves that never fall.
Everything they do is successful.” Psalm 1:1-3 ERV
The trees in this verse are different from the ones I enjoyed. It says that their leaves will never fall or whither or fade, depending on which version you read. Now that is a miracle!
We are promised if we love the Lord’s teachings and follow them we will be like those trees. Growing tall, our hearts will be rooted deep in God’s word. We will be fruitful, abundant with the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, endurance, gentleness, goodness and kindness. And our leaves, which depict the flow of life through the tree, will always be green, supple, full of life and they will never fall.
This is God’s law of success. We have the promise that we will be successful in all we do if we live our lives like this.
This verse has caused me to be retrospect on more than one occasion. There have been many times that I have had to examine areas of failure in my life. If I evaluate those times by these verses I have to admit that I wasn’t drawing my advice from God’s word and staying ground in it day and night. Those failures came because I was trying to do things my own way or trying to follow worldly advice.
Yes, these tall and stately trees are examples of God’s goodness and His faithfulness. Even when we have times that our leaves seem to be falling to the ground, God’s faithfulness will sustain us as we draw strength from His word. His promises will bring us through the winter seasons of our lives and soon new growth with appear.
These last verses are from Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet who gave many prophecies about Christ; his birth, life and death. This one is about the purpose of Jesus ministry.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has chosen me to bring good news to poor people. He has sent me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent me to tell those who are being held and those in prison that they can go free. 2 He has sent me to tell about the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day our God will bring punishment. He has sent me to comfort all who are filled with sorrow. 3 To those who have sorrow in Zion I will give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. I will give them the oil of joy instead of sorrow, and a spirit of praise instead of a spirit of no hope. Then they will be called oaks that are right with God, planted by the Lord, that He may be honored.” Isaiah 61:1-3 NLV
Jesus came to take away our sorrow and our shame. He gives us beauty in place of our mourning and joy in place of our sorrow. He has come to plant us as trees, trees that are right with God and bring Him honor.
Lord, today I’m thankful for the object lessons you have placed all around us. Thank you that the principles in your Word give us guidance, hope and bring us to a place of success in You.