I personally love walks in the woods, finding myself closer to God by seeing the complexity of creation, having all my senses impacted without the noise and distraction of everyday life.
And the trees…sometimes it feels like this part of creation is telling a story. A story of steadfastness, faithfulness, peace, and joy.
From Genesis to Revelation, we see the image of trees and the stories that accompany them.
The Tree of Life was in the middle of the Garden of Eden; a gift to mankind offering the fruit of eternal life.
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, also in the middle of the Garden of Eden; a clear statement made by our Father to say, “It’s your choice…obedience leading to life, or disobedience leading to death”. “Do not eat the fruit of this tree.”
Then in the first Psalm the writer equates the life of a faithful person to a tree planted by streams of water.
I love Isaiah 55 where he says, “You shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills shall burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands!”
When Jesus restores sight to a blind man in Bethsaida, the first thing the man says is, “I see people; they look like trees walking around!”
Amazingly, the last chapter of Revelation speaks again of the Tree of Life planted along the edges of the River of Life.
As we approach Easter, we see the significance of the tree on which our Saviour was willingly crucified. Because of the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus, there will be no evil or sin in God’s new creation. We will be able to eat freely from the tree of life when sin’s control over us is destroyed and our eternity is secured.
As we travel through Lent, I invite you to ponder this part of God’s creation; trees. How has this beautiful part of creation pointed us to God in ways that we’ve never bothered to see?
- Rod
And the trees…sometimes it feels like this part of creation is telling a story. A story of steadfastness, faithfulness, peace, and joy.
From Genesis to Revelation, we see the image of trees and the stories that accompany them.
The Tree of Life was in the middle of the Garden of Eden; a gift to mankind offering the fruit of eternal life.
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, also in the middle of the Garden of Eden; a clear statement made by our Father to say, “It’s your choice…obedience leading to life, or disobedience leading to death”. “Do not eat the fruit of this tree.”
Then in the first Psalm the writer equates the life of a faithful person to a tree planted by streams of water.
I love Isaiah 55 where he says, “You shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills shall burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands!”
When Jesus restores sight to a blind man in Bethsaida, the first thing the man says is, “I see people; they look like trees walking around!”
Amazingly, the last chapter of Revelation speaks again of the Tree of Life planted along the edges of the River of Life.
As we approach Easter, we see the significance of the tree on which our Saviour was willingly crucified. Because of the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus, there will be no evil or sin in God’s new creation. We will be able to eat freely from the tree of life when sin’s control over us is destroyed and our eternity is secured.
As we travel through Lent, I invite you to ponder this part of God’s creation; trees. How has this beautiful part of creation pointed us to God in ways that we’ve never bothered to see?
- Rod
Comments
Post a Comment