A Planter of Trees

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lthough we lived on Main Street, just a few blocks from the center of town, our yard was filled with trees.  Our backyard sported two apple trees, a cherry tree, a weeping willow tree, a maple tree, a pen oak tree, a magnolia tree, and a row of Lombardi poplars.  Our side yard was guarded by a huge maple tree and the grass and flowers in our front yard flourished in the shade of the two more maples that grew there.

What can I say, my dad loved trees and he planted most of the ones around our home.  I remember daddy replacing the two trees in the front yard.  He dug two deep holes, carefully planted the saplings, and covered their roots with rich soil.  We helped him pack the dirt by walking around and around until the soil was completely mashed flat.  Daddy then watered the young trees and continued to do this throughout the spring and into the summer.

Some of those trees are still there and when I pass by the house I remember climbing them, hiding behind them, or just lying in the grass looking up at them.  I remember daddy raking their leaves into crisp piles that crunched and snapped when we jumped in.  I remember the creaking noises they made when a strong wind bent their branches, sending their roots further down into the soil, making their trunks stronger.

But the most important thing I remember about those trees is that they were always there.  Every year found them bigger and stronger than the year before and each year their branches spread further and provided more protection from the heat in the summer and the rain in the spring.  The fruit trees in our backyard always produced fruit, especially apples that my next door neighbor Mom Jenkins turned into wonderful homemade pies. 

Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet had a lot to say about trees.  He understood that a tree could survive only when its roots went deep into the earth and drew out the nourishment that the soil and water provided. It is little wonder that he makes a comparison between a person who trusts God completely and a mighty tree that continues to thrive from year to year.

In Jeremiah 17:7-8 we read these words: "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Jeremiah describes an interesting description of the person who trusts God completely.  Notice the two conditions the believer must meet and the four results of his faith. According to Jeremiah, we must trust God and place our confidence in Him just as a tree places its roots deep into the soil for strength and nourishment.  This means we are to take our hands off and let God have His way.  We must let go of the reins if we ever expect to go where God wants to take us.  But trusting God cannot be divorced from placing our confidence in Him.  This means we know that no matter the circumstances, no matter what we see or think we see, hear or think we hear, feel or think we feel, we have 100% assurance that God is working on our behalf; that all things will work for our good in accordance with God’s will and on His time schedule.

When we place our faith this securely in God, Jeremiah lists four things we can expect.  We will not fear in time of trial.  We will always have all we need.  We have no need of worry and we will never fail to produce fruit for God.  Notice, however, that God does not remove us from the difficulties of life. Jeremiah states we will not fear when the heat comes.  In other words, when life throws us curves, when things don’t turn out the way we expected, we can stand strong in the knowledge that God will meet our needs.  As a result, our leaves will always be green, meaning that God will supply what we need, but not what we always want! In the year of drought, the tree has no worries.  Likewise, there will be times of drought and periods of difficulty but when we make God the source of our strength and the very means by which we live, our lives will continually bear fruit.

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y mom and dad have since moved across town, away from the hustle and bustle of Main Street.  The yard around their home is substantially larger than the one where I grew up.  We still talk several times a week and catch up on all that’s going on in our respective lives and in the lives of family and friends.  However, since mom and dad moved to their current home, you’ll never guess what my dad has done!   Well, perhaps you already know—he has planted trees, lots of them.  How many trees have you planted lately?  Are you living your life rooted in the confidence that no matter what life sends your way God will always see you through?  I surely hope you are.  If not, I invite you to become firmly rooted in Him!  Do you know the great planter of trees today?