Isaiah 41:19-“I will
plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the
oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree
together.”
I am not sure if you
would have given this verse much thought. I say because I previously never did.
But today morning during my quiet time, this verse hit me. It hit me like a
bullet hits glass. The glass in response just shatters to pieces. One of the
books of the Bible I really appreciate and find very assuring is the book of Isaiah.
It has loads of promises that keep me going. The promises that the Lord made to
the children of Israel, the promises that the Lord made to me before I was born
the promises that keep me standing. The promises that he never breaks, because
unlike us mortals, Jehovah never breaks the promises that he makes to his
children.
What queer thing do
you find in the above verse? If you say
that the Lord is turning a dull dry wasteland into green fields, well that is
true but not exactly what I am asking you to see. I shall indicate it myself. The
list of trees mentioned in the verse is the key. You would be surprised to know
that each of the trees has its own significance. I shall not describe in detail
for fear of wearing you out, but in a line or two I shall explain.
First of all the
wilderness or wasteland is the desert, where nothing grows, and nothing
happens. It is a symbol of solitude for nothing accompanies it. Moving over to the trees, the cedar, fir and pine are trees that grow only at a higher altitude. The
shittah tree grows in desert; the myrtle is a deciduous tree that grows close
to tropics and the olive tree is one that grows best in the coastal climatic
conditions. Each of these trees has its
own habitat that is far from a wasteland. These do not grow in a dry land. If you
say shittah, I would disagree with you for even the sturdiest of desert plants
only grow at its rim. At the heart of a wasteland grows nothing. But, the verse contradicts all rules of
nature.
The Lord shall make
trees of all varieties grow in such a wasteland. You think he cannot give you a
job tomorrow or he is incapable or probably sleeping while you fight against a
false accusation and are being mocked at? You think he chooses to be silent and
would let you fall when you find your surroundings and the circumstances
overwhelming? If so, know that, you are the child of God that can make a tree
of the mountains grow in the heart of the desert. You are held by one who can
make water flow in the wilderness. This is the reason why I felt the glass
shatter in me. My God, with whom nothing is impossible.
Do not question his
might!!! For verse 20 goes on to say this- “That they may
see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created
it.”
#Hope #GODofallpossibilities #nomorewasteland
