The God who makes the impossible possible

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