During Sunday's sermon I related a story to encourage all how God keeps His promises. Though there aren't always signs or miracles continually to confirm the faithfulness of our God, He does provide His presence and amazing evidence in our earthly pilgrimage. If we seek the LORD with our whole hearts we will find Him. For well over a decade I have met weekly with various fellow Christians to pray. For years before I knew of God's call upon my life to immigrate to Australia I met with a brother named Rudy to seek the LORD in prayer. God brought great encouragement and strength through times of prayer, and even used a fallen tree to confirm His word to me.
I was on staff at the church when a tree in a large pot toppled over. The tree was sizable and it lay flat on the ground for a day or two as the staff considered our options. We certainly didn't want it to go to waste, so the assistant pastor and I dug a hole big enough for the root ball to fit in a sunny spot, dragged the tree over to the hole best we could, and transplanted it. We lashed limbs to a nearby fence and watered the tree. It was really a "sink or swim" approach to planting a tree with no special fertiliser, amended soil, or much knowledge or skill in growing trees at all. If it lived it lived, and if it died it was firewood.
The tree went into shock and dropped most of the leaves. Though it looked sad for a while there was still life in the tree, so I kept watering it. One day Rudy said something like, "That tree is a picture of what God is doing with you. He's going to transplant you." That struck me. It showed me the importance of my need to be established before there could be growth. As a family we would need to be patient to have roots drinking in water to withstand strong winds and dry seasons. It was almost a living parable of the church God connected us with as well. God eventually opened a door for us to move to Australia, and the tree was almost forgotten. It turned out I had not been forgotten by God or the many people who have continued to pray for us to this day six years later.
After about two years I returned to visit my home church. One of the first things Rudy said to me with a grin upon my return was, "Have you seen your tree?" I walked over and looked at it. Gone were the restraints, it was full of green leaves, and well over twice the size than before! It was such an encouragement to know God cares for people more than trees, and He is able to make both thrive in His time. As I prepared to share this story as an illustration in the sermon, on a whim I decided to look up what kind of tree it was. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the name of "my" tree was "ficus benjamina" - Benjamin being my first name! That God could use a fallen tree as a support for my faith as I look to Jesus!
My home church has since sold the building to a school and over the years much has changed. I used Google Earth to see if the tree is still there, and to this day it continues to flourish and grow. God has promised all who meditate of His Word day and night will resemble a tree in Psalm 1:3: "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." No tree will last forever, but God, His promises, and those whose lives are founded upon Jesus Christ will. How awesome is our God! He can use a single tree to impact a life, and He can use you too! (the tree can be seen behind the school on the corner of Johnson and Main in El Cajon, circled below in white)
I was on staff at the church when a tree in a large pot toppled over. The tree was sizable and it lay flat on the ground for a day or two as the staff considered our options. We certainly didn't want it to go to waste, so the assistant pastor and I dug a hole big enough for the root ball to fit in a sunny spot, dragged the tree over to the hole best we could, and transplanted it. We lashed limbs to a nearby fence and watered the tree. It was really a "sink or swim" approach to planting a tree with no special fertiliser, amended soil, or much knowledge or skill in growing trees at all. If it lived it lived, and if it died it was firewood.
The tree went into shock and dropped most of the leaves. Though it looked sad for a while there was still life in the tree, so I kept watering it. One day Rudy said something like, "That tree is a picture of what God is doing with you. He's going to transplant you." That struck me. It showed me the importance of my need to be established before there could be growth. As a family we would need to be patient to have roots drinking in water to withstand strong winds and dry seasons. It was almost a living parable of the church God connected us with as well. God eventually opened a door for us to move to Australia, and the tree was almost forgotten. It turned out I had not been forgotten by God or the many people who have continued to pray for us to this day six years later.
After about two years I returned to visit my home church. One of the first things Rudy said to me with a grin upon my return was, "Have you seen your tree?" I walked over and looked at it. Gone were the restraints, it was full of green leaves, and well over twice the size than before! It was such an encouragement to know God cares for people more than trees, and He is able to make both thrive in His time. As I prepared to share this story as an illustration in the sermon, on a whim I decided to look up what kind of tree it was. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the name of "my" tree was "ficus benjamina" - Benjamin being my first name! That God could use a fallen tree as a support for my faith as I look to Jesus!
My home church has since sold the building to a school and over the years much has changed. I used Google Earth to see if the tree is still there, and to this day it continues to flourish and grow. God has promised all who meditate of His Word day and night will resemble a tree in Psalm 1:3: "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." No tree will last forever, but God, His promises, and those whose lives are founded upon Jesus Christ will. How awesome is our God! He can use a single tree to impact a life, and He can use you too! (the tree can be seen behind the school on the corner of Johnson and Main in El Cajon, circled below in white)
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