Saturday, October 23, 2010

A Display of His Splendor






They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:3



As I look back on my writings I have had a several thoughts about trees. I told the story of a little tree that was scarred by fire but because of it’s deep roots continued to lift it’s branches to the sky. I told also of how my Weeping Pine tree, that hung over my porch, was spared because of a surprising beauty that emerged after the crowd of trees around her was cut down. The picture that I displayed is of a beautiful walnut tree with it's fruit still hanging from it's almost leafless branches. I write about trees because I love trees, they are beautiful to me as they bud in the spring but also as they stand leafless through the fall and winter. Graceful branches against the backdrop of the winter skyline truly displays His splendor.



Many places in the bible, as in Isaiah, compares believers to trees planted by God. I know that if someone compared me to a tree I wouldn’t be too happy. If you think of it a tree is thick, rough and usually old. I remember a shirt that my mom wore on her sixtieth birthday that voices this it said “60 isn’t old….for a tree!”. If you look farther into the structure of a tree you realize that the tree has roots that reach far into the earth. I have read that a tree’s roots are usually as deep as the tree is tall. Those deep roots are able to take in nutrients and water that makes the tree strong enough to weather many storms and bad weather. If you cut a branch off of a tree you can actually see what has happened in the life of the tree. If the tree had a good year you can see that the tree branch grew that year but if the year was bad there was less growth which is indicated by rings that were closer together. There is not much that can topple a tree, though it is battered by weather, disease or pests so no wonder God plants us as the display of His splendor.



Sometimes we listen to satan’s lies that tells us we are damaged goods! God could never look on us as a mighty oak let alone a display of his splendor. But if you read Isaiah 61:1-3 you learn that our Sovereign Lord came to bind up the brokenhearted, give freedom to captives, comfort those who mourn and give them the spirit of praise rather than the spirit of despair and then we will be called “oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. That gives me hope as I look at how life can batter and scar each of us. Praise God I am still A Display of His Splendor!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Ghosts and Gobblins in the Dark!!



This time of the year reminds me of Halloween time years ago. Our oldest girls, the twins and Christa who were probably six and eight wanted to go to the Haunted House in our town. They begged and begged until we decided to take them. While my younger girls and I sat in the car Larry took the girls to the spooky haunted house. He told them over and over that it wasn’t real, that it was just there to scare people and that it was all just for fun. Brave, determined and anxious they waited for there turn to go through the darkness to see whatever awaited them. Everything went fine until the first scary creature jumped out at them and then the screaming began. They grabbed their Dad by the legs, hands or anything they could grab. He was laughing so hard he could hardly pull them through and at each assault of another ghost or gobblin they begged even harder to go back. Larry still laughs at how they clung to him in the dark to the point he could hardly move.

As I thought about this I thought about how I often feel I am groping in the dark trying to find my way. Life jumps out at me when I least expect it and scares me to death. You probably have had those same things happen to you also. The boss says I can’t afford to keep you during the uncertain times, that much dreaded diagnosis of cancer suddenly becomes your reality or a relationship that you had counted on comes to an end. You take baby steps because you cannot see what is up ahead as the darkness engulfs you. Like the haunted house it seems that when one scary monster jumps out in our life he is followed by another and another. I don’t know how that happens but it does seem to come in bunches.

I love the scripture I read in Isaiah today it described how God is our Light.

Who among you who fear the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Isaiah 50:10

I like what “The Message” says “you who are groping in the dark” Trust God and Lean on God!

The next verse in that same chapter is very interesting as well! It describes how often we try to light our own torch to see where to go instead of leaning on God or trusting God. I am guilty of having just enough light to cause myself great worry! What if this happens or that happens what will I do. Instead of grabbing hold of the one who actually knows what’s on my dark path I struggle on my own and strain to see with the dim light of my own understanding.

I am glad that I have a heavenly Father who knows my path and gives me just enough light to let me take one more step so that I can trust him to take me to the end of my darkness and into His light!

Save me for I am yours. Psalm 119:94