Let the Tree Inspire You
I saw my daughter’s FB post a couple of weeks ago about what appeared to be a dead tree on their property and how they wouldn’t give up on it. They didn’t let the appearance of it defer their hope for life to still be in it.
“The day we signed the papers on Epiphany Ranch, this 100+ year old oak tree sat at the entrance, lifeless and brittle. Mistletoe (a parasite) and thorns had choked the life out of it and professionals told us it was hopeless. Larry leaned over to me and said, “I’m not ready to give up on that one just yet. Let’s clean up her roots and see if we can bring her back to life.” We prayed and went to work cleaning up her roots and BOOM…two weeks later, she is living proof that RESURRECTION LIFE still exists today. This is the vision of Epiphany Ranch and Restoration Retreat Center, where we know God will breathe new life into the lives of individuals who have died at the root of their existence. This multi-acre property will host life-changing events, leadership summits, and programs that we believe will breathe new life into dry bones. This tree of resurrection life will be a part of our Epiphany Logo. Please pray for us as we continue to say “YES” to the Father and all He has called us to do!”
Have you ever struggled because you know God can do anything, but you can’t understand why He doesn’t seem to be intervening for your situation right now? Like that tree, you’re about to let the dream, the goal, the situation, the restoration….die because it all looks deader than dead. You’re trying to hang on to hope, but the more time that passes without change, the harder it is.
I have heard this “hope” scripture quoted many times: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) “Hope deferred” refers to a hopeless situation that feels long and drawn out. It’s the seemingly unending and disappointing kind of season that can leave us tempted to look at our lives and question, “Why is God withholding this from me? Since He’s not intervening, I’ll just try to fix it myself in my way.”
God wants us to look to the Tree of Life. What is the “Tree of Life” you ask? It is the tree (the cross) that Jesus Christ hung from. Jesus died on the cross, “the tree” as Galatians 3:13 puts it. We know that trees in the wintertime only appear to be dead, but new life comes every Spring, just like the new life given to us because of Jesus’ redemptive work on Calvary for us.
Your life may be dark and confusing today. But make no mistake, there is a powerful work happening. And Jesus wants us to hear Him saying, “ I am the fulfillment of your every longing. I am your Tree of Life. Look to Me.”
Maybe we don’t have all the answers to our “why” questions. God isn’t trying to be distant or mysterious or hard to understand. He’s being merciful. He is wanting us to look for the resurrection life within us, just like the tree on my children’s property. We don’t have to know the plan to trust there is a plan. We don’t have to feel good to trust there is good coming. We don’t have to see evidence to trust that it won’t always be this hard. “The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives big in us” (Romans 8:11). Let us pull up and tear out all those old roots of doubt and unbelief around “our tree”. Let us stir up the gifts of the Holy Spirit within us so that we see the new sprouts that are about to emerge!