A Tree of Righteousness — Planted by the Lord

God compares those who follow Him with trees planted by streams of water. When we are planted by the Lord, He brings fruitfulness and beauty to our lives in unexpected ways. Have you noticed how other people tend to see and reap from God’s divine presence over our lives long before we do? Perhaps that is one more evidence of God’s sovereign grace.

I once lived along the sandy ridges of the Qu’Appelle Valley. Pleasant day walks would inevitably lead me to rest and sit on the crest of a hill. This was my place of refreshing as I inhaled the prairie air, absorbing the surrounding beauty. Though people envision the prairies as flat and boring, nothing could be further from the truth immersed in such a diverse landscape.

As I sat, I pitied the scarred and twisted poplars of the high ridge. How many years had it taken them to reach even such miniature stature — twenty, maybe more? Dwarfed … irreversibly bent … surviving but never thriving. In the coulee below, ash, elm, birch and variety of other trees reached their playful limbs high toward the warm rays of light while their roots drank from cool hidden streams — their trunks thick and boughs long.

A silent tear fell as I pondered the unfairness of life. One struggles while another prospers. These trees couldn’t choose their fate or position; we, whether knowingly or unknowingly, often do.

“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. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”
Psalm 1:2-3

Planted

Drawn to the mossy dampness of the coulee below, I left the scorching heat of the high land. Squirrels jumped from branch to branch as birds scolded over my head and flowers bloomed beneath my feet. As I sat on a fallen log, I rested in the cool paradise of abundance.

“This Lord is where I desire to be planted. The hilltop is hard … a painful struggle, but here is shelter.”

Unlike trees we move from place to place, Some spring-like and filled with hope. Others dark and cold. Will I choose Him through it all? Will I have the courage to choose the “joy of those who do not follow” the crooked ways of my warped culture?

In every situation will I give God my solemn “yes” … my trust-filled “yes” … my emphatic “yes!” Why? Because He is my delight! His Word is precious and enough! Day and night, will my roots edge toward His abundant stream, seeking His refreshing and renewing? Will I be steadfast wherever He plants me?

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

For His Splendor

Whether on the dry hillside or the fertile lowland, each tree bore a unique beauty and majesty. Not every tree could survive the harsh elements of the high land; nor is every tree purposed for the shadows below.

Today, a city surrounds me. As I gaze out my condo window, trees of various kinds dot the cityscape. Each one purposely planted — some for beauty, others for shelter, and still others for the fruit they would one day produce. My father often said, “He who plants a tree, plants it for the next generation.” His word held weight and meaning then and now.

We are each created with God design. We are made for eternity. Yet, even here and now there is purpose for our lives. We are not a mistake. Our lives are not too twisted or bent. Nothing and no one can stop His plans from being fulfilled in us. Yes, it may be delayed. But when, or if, we turn to Him with our humble “yes,” He will fulfill His plans in us no matter where we find ourselves planted today.

Oaks of righteousness bring Him glory. Oaks of righteousness display His splendor. Not just in this generation, but also in the next one, too!

Isaiah wrote to a nation devastated by their sinful ways, but listen to the message he declared over them.

“Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness” planted by God to display his glory. They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage. They’ll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new.”
Isaiah 61:3-4

Hope

What God planted, He will restore. Then those restored ones will become redemptive and restorative to others. Do you see the beauty and wonder of God’s plan? Doing the things only He can do? I especially love this phrase, “take the rubble left behind and make it new.”

Filled with His Spirit, immersed in His ways, and delighting in His heart, we too become builders of all that is right and good.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Isaiah 61:1-3

Of course, these verses specifically reference the finished work of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for us all. As His present-day representatives, they also refer to us.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us! He has anointed us to bring good news to others, to touch the broken places with His love, and open the prison gates so people may see the light of His Presence. As trees of righteousness, planted by the Lord, others may come and rest under the graceful boughs of His goodness in our lives. They may eat the rich fruit of abundance He alone has caused. They find refreshment and restoration and see Him through our eyes of grace and mercy.

The hope He brought to us reaches to others. Hope again, sweet friends. Hope again! You are a tree of righteousness, fruitful and beautiful, planted by the Lord.

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