AM I STANDING TALL AND STRAIGHT

OR BENT BY THE WIND?

 As we were traveling recently through the mountain and the forest to the coast, I was looking at the trees on the mountainside.  Then I looked at those along the stream flowing down the cliff, and wondered why some trees are straight and tall.  Some seem to be bent by the wind and the snows of winter.  Some have simply died.

 Then we drove through the giant redwood forests, and again I marveled at God’s creation and why some seem to reach to the sky, and others are drying up.

 Then the thought came to me that we are like those trees.  Some of us are strong and green and can stand strong in the midst of howling winds, rain, and the storms that come into our lives.  Others of us give up in the midst of storms and trials, our roots wither, and we lose our grip on life.  We no longer seek God in His Word or spend time in prayer.  Many think God has forgotten them in their suffering.

 And I looked again at those trees growing by the riverbank, strong and green.  They are the ones whose roots go deep down into the stream.  There are other trees which seem to grow right out of the walls of the cliff and their roots reach down into the stream bed.  Let’s look at God’s Word and see what the Lord has to say about trees and how they relate to our own lives and our walk with the Lord.

 “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD their hope and confidence.  They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit”  Jeremiah 17:7-8. (NLT)

 Here we have a beautiful picture of those going through the great storms of life.  When he heat of trial comes, or times of great need or lack.  Sometimes we are worried about the needs of tomorrow, but these in the passage of scripture are not worried.  The LORD says they are “blessed,” because they put their hope and trust in the LORD in their great time of need.  And notice that they never stop producing fruit, no matter what the trial or how many years they may live.

 “But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.  For they are transplanted to the LORD’s own house, they flourish in the courts of our God.  Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green” Psalm 92:12-14. (NLT)

 It is said that the cedars of Lebanon grew to 120 feet in height and up to 30 feet in circumference; thus, they were solid, strong and immovable.  The writer of the Psalm saw believers as upright, strong, and unmoved by the winds of circumstance.  When we place our faith firmly in God’s care, even when the storms howl around us, we will walk in His strength.  And notice that even when we hit our senior years, we can still be bearing fruit.  We can be walking daily in the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21), still be a witness to those around us and be an intercessor, praying for our friends and loved ones and our grandchildren and generations to come (Psalms 71:18).

 "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  They leaves never wither, and they proper in all they do”  Psalms 1:1-3.

 Here we have another lovely picture of that tree by the river, standing straight and tall, unmoved by the winds of circumstance or by the storms that beat upon it, or by the rain or snow that may come.  This tree is also drawing deep into the river bank.  This is a lovely picture again of the Holy Spirit and the Living Water that Jesus talks about in John 4 and John 7.  It is drawing from the living waters of the Holy Spirit that we grow and draw nourishment.

 And how do we continue to grow straight and tall in times of testing and trial?  How can we keep producing fruit in our lives, having leaves that never wither and prospering  in whatever He calls us to do?  “But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night” (v 2).  It is staying in the Word of God, memorizing it, letting it sink deep into our hearts and meditating or pondering the fresh Word of God day and night.  It is finding a quiet place daily, feeding our souls with His Word and spending time in prayer.

 Then we will be like those trees by the river in the mountains, strong and straight, green and producing fruit and drawing water deep from the stream.  We won’t have to be like the other trees who are right there by the river, but have dried up.  They have dried up because their roots did not go deep into the stream. Maybe they are like some of us, we start growing, but trials and things of this world come in and we cease to draw nourishment from the Living Water, the Living Water that only comes by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

 So what kind of tree are you, my friend?  Are you straight and tall?  Are your roots going deep into the Water of the Word of God?   God is calling His people back into His Word, into prayer and spending  time with Him.  Things are tough in the world situation, and all around us.  We all need to be drawing our strength from Him and then our hope and strength are secure no matter what the circumstances of life may bring.  God Bless you as you dig deep into His Word and continue to let your roots go deep into the Living Waters.  Praise the Lord!

 In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon