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May 11, 2024 06:00am

Tree by the Water

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As I was walking along the trail, a big, beautiful tree called out to me. It had a story. It did not give me the story all at once. It eluded to something greater than itself, and my heart clung to its image over the following days. When my heart was quiet, the strong tree’s story would whisper for me to listen. God had something to tell me, if I would slow down long enough to hear.

This particular tree was unique, its large stature making its forked trunk perplexing. It did not tell a story of weakness or yield pity. It shone from among the other trees with its prevailing grandeur. Its wide trunk remained unified past my head, where it split into two symmetrically sturdy paths. My mind kept wandering back to this tree long after I had left its nook in the path. Without really even understanding why yet, it filled me with a sense of awe and peace.

I scoured the Bible for verses about trees, devouring God’s Word and His promises in the pictures His Word planted of provision, peace, patience, power, sovereignty. I researched causes for trees to fork and read all about “internal damage” that leads to cracking on the surface, the art of coppicing, surprising gains from certain shaped forks and the mechanical strength at the juncture of the divide. God had many lessons within that research. Every discovery fueled my hunger even more, and my free time was filled with sweet time savoring God’s Word…leaving me with an appetite for more.

It is my conjecture that this tree began its life full of opportunity and sustenance, and it continues in that same provision. Its roots, well supported, it receives ample water from a nearby stream and stands firm in rich soil. It has flourished in its environment, and it was fully prepared to withstand whatever struggle came its way to lead it to change trajectory. By design, the trunk took on a new form. The damaged area grew stronger, the new paths of the trunk continued to thrive in full provision from its healthy roots and continued receipt of nutrients. The literal groundwork was there to allow the strength necessary.

Life does not always continue down the straight path we imagine for ourselves. I might even suggest it never does. In God’s sovereignty, He has a plan for us that is far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. The methods He uses to bring about His perfect plan will most likely push us to a place where we are forced to grow stronger at the juncture. We can’t see the end product like He can, so we would do well to trust Him in the process and continue to seek the fulfillment of all our needs in Him.

If the root is holy, so are the branches, Romans 11:16. This beautiful, fork – shaped tree is symbolic of God‘s providence and power and grace and mercy. That tree could have grown the way it was expected to grow, taking the usual path and would have become a very different tree than the one it became. At some point, after living a very steadfast and holy life – strong roots, thick trunk from years of being well – provided for… Something happened… Something hard and painful that caused this strong tree to face a different future than anyone anticipated for it. After the initial trauma, in the first days of the aftermath, some might have looked at the tree with pity, unable to see God‘s perfect plan at work in that very moment – building up mechanical strength at the juncture of the damage – creating strength that could not come without the pain of whatever event happened. But, overtime, the tree’s trunk forked into the most beautiful “u” shape, allowing it strength and beauty as it spread out to become the tree God created when He allowed that seed to sprout, decades before.

Oh, Lord God, Your plans are always so much richer than ours. You are able to do far more abundantly than all I can ask or think, according to the power at work within me- Ephesians 3:20. You were at work in that tree from the beginning, building up strong roots to carry it through the event that brought pain, all in Your plan, to produce something more abundantly beyond any plans of man. May we, as Your people, trust that Your plan is best, even when our lives seem very different from how we anticipated You would take them.