DAILY WORD – THURSDAY 20^TH MAY 2010

To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion--to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit--that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Isaiah 61:3 (Amplified Bible)

Yesterday I walked through the English countryside. It was a beautiful summer’s day, the birds’ sang in the trees, the breeze gently swayed the tall grasses, and the fields were full of buttercups and daisies.

As I walked the fields I passed many oak trees some of which were so large they must be a few hundred years old. I stopped and put my hands on the trunk of one of these mighty oaks and became so aware of the protection these majestic trees gave to many of the inhabitants of the countryside and woodlands.

The word righteous means to be in right standing, and these wonderful trees are definitely in right standing with the environment around them, their roots deep in the ground and their branches reaching into the sky as if praising the creator for their very existence.

At the same time I was aware that in the cold depths of the winter these trees rested and waited for the warmth of the spring sunshine to once again bring them back into their total beauty, and I thought of how God uses the term ‘oaks of righteousness’ in regard to His children.

What grabbed my thinking the most though was the fact that in the winter the same mighty oak looks dead and dreary, but the oak does not fight the season but rests in the knowledge that spring will come – it does not uproot itself and say ‘ this is an awful place so I am going to find somewhere nice and cozy – no it rests quietly trusting that it will once more become the glorious tree it was created to be.

We all face seasons in our lives and some of those are cold and wintry, but as the oak stands with its roots deep in the ground it was planted in, so we too need to remain firmly rooted in Christ. 

The tree may lose all its leaves and be swayed to and fro by the stormy winds but its roots remain fixed and strong and so it waits.

And so too we can find that place in Christ where, despite the storms that rage around us, we can wait knowing that the season will come to an end, for no matter what it may look like on the outside there is a mighty ‘oak’ within us preparing to display all the Glory of the Living God!

Live in Christ – not crisis!

Stay fervently focused

Much love

Chrissy