Trees of Righteousness

(I have recorded myself reading today's blog, for anyone who would rather listen than read - you can find this at the bottom of the page)

Isaiah 61v3
"To provide for those who grieve in Zion- to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise in place of a spirit of despair.  So they will be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified."

God calls his people Trees of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord.

Why are we called Trees of Righteousness?

1. Like trees are the beauty of the landscape so The Church of Jesus is the beauty of the World.

2. Like a tree is known for it's great strength to stand for many years through many storms so are we strong in the Lord. Walking in his Joy which is our strength as we are rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ.

3.  As a tree is fruitful so are we called to bring forth fruit in our lives to glorify our God.

Have you ever bought a plant from the garden centre and it looked healthy but when you transplanted it into a bigger pot or into your garden it didn't do well, or even died?  Sometimes it could be planted in the wrong soil, not enough drainage or not enough water or just the wrong place for enough sunlight, because we don't know what is best for that particular plant.

God has lifted us out of the kingdom of darkness and has translated us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son - the Kingdom of Light. We belong to Jesus.  He has taken us from our sin and made us the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and has planted us where he knows we will grow and be strong.  When we remain rooted and grounded in Jesus, through the knowledge of his Word revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, we will grow, but if we are not rooted in Jesus, and are carried away with the cares of life, we may look good on the outside for a little while but our beauty and strength will fade away.

Great trees are exposed to every storm and all kinds of weather good and bad.  So are God's people in this world, but we have his strength to stand, to remain and to produce fruit and to bring glory to the Lord our God.

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers them out of them all" Psalm 34v19

Earlier this week as I was praying the Lord showed me a picture of what looked like a caterpillar creeping over someone's skin, it looked like it was around the ear.  It really stuck in my mind, because I am not a visual person, I do not often see pictures in my mind, I am more an audio person.  I pondered over it and asked the Holy Spirit to show me what it meant.  This scripture came to me in Joel 2v25

"and I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm"

I looked up an image of the cankerworm and realised that is what I saw.  I had no idea what a cankerworm was so I did some research to find out more.  I will try to be as brief as possible to explain to you what I found out.  Cankerworms are different from normal caterpillars that we think of, they are wingless and they crawl, but they don't turn into beautiful butterflies but rather moths. They hatch just when the trees are starting to bud in the spring.  They feed on the leaves.  They can eat all the leaves of even a large tree, but you'll only notice it if the trees they are attacking are already stressed by drought or disease.  Another type of cankerworm hatches in the autumn so the same tree could be hit twice in the same year.  These Palmerworms have wings and it is the name given these caterpillar type insects that suddenly appear in great numbers devouring herbage.

Strong and mature trees can withstand a season or two of complete defoliation.  However if those same trees are also stressed by disease, limb dieback, drought or other factors this defoliation can be dangerous to the overall health of the trees and make them more likely to suffer lasting damage.

If you are like me you will probably be thinking that this sounds just like what happens in our Christian walk.  Just when we think we are starting to get somewhere, something comes to attack us and sets us back again. It is very rarely 1 thing but a combination of lots of things.  Many times we can get caught in a cycle of one trouble after another, leaving us feeling defenseless and exhausted, and many times ready to give up.  You see the cankerworm is seeking to eat the life of the tree, draining it when it is at its weakest.  If it is stressed by drought or lack of sunlight or disease and is already fighting for its life, it doesn't have the strength to fight yet another enemy or battle.

There are many things to cause us stress in the world today.  But God is still our defense and our Mighty Healer and Deliverer,  and we see from Joel chapter 2 - He is the also our Restorer. 

The cycle of destruction that it talks about in Joel chapter 2, comes to an end when the Restoration of God comes.

Isaiah 61v3 holds a great key for us to enter into his Restoring Power.

"To provide for those who grieve in Zion- to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise in place of a spirit of despair.  So they will be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified."

The years of one problem after another can leave us grieving and sad, heavy with a spirit of despair, hopelessness and weariness - but God says he has a crown of beauty for you, and oil of joy and a garment of Praise. Most times we don't feel worthy of God's great love, but that is why He gives us Grace.  Grace gives us what we don't deserve.  Maybe you feel you deserve the trouble because of your own actions but that is why he gives us Mercy.  Mercy saves us from what we do deserve.  Will you receive his Grace and Mercy today?

We don't have to wait until we get to heaven to experience Restoration.  It can begin today.

Here is what the Psalmist said in Psalm 52v8 "But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;  I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever."

You may not be able to see yourself like a green olive tree just now.  But as you begin to turn your eyes upon Jesus the Living Water, the Living Word.  New Vision and Restoration will come to you.

No matter what the past has been for you - the cycle can be broken, His hope and peace wins over hopelessness - As we choose to take God at his word. Heaviness and Despair is lifted of us as we lift our hearts, voices and hands to him in Praise.

This is a good portion of scripture to meditate on and to speak over your life daily.

Psalm 1 v 1-3
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

All the cankerworms and other things that have been sent to drain your energy and drain your life can be and will be destroyed as you take hold of the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, delight in it and meditate on it.  Praising and Thanking God for Jesus, and that through him you are forgiven, you are accepted, you are loved and you are free.  Strength will rise as we Praise Him.

I just wrote and recorded this little song this morning I hope it blesses you. x