Presence and Sustenance

A few years ago, I was admiring our tangerine tree on the side of our house. So, I took this photo. The year before, we had cut off some dead branches and some “renegade” branches with thorns that bore some bad fruit. I glanced out the window from the kitchen and decided to go outside to get a closer look. As you can see, the tree is full of life-giving branches filled with beautiful, healthy, green leaves. And if you take a closer look, you can see the not-yet-ripe tangerines hanging from the branches. I have never had a green thumb, so I was simply amazed by what a little tree trimming had brought forth.

But then I looked past our tangerine tree to our plum tree. And as you can see in the photo, it doesn’t look as good as the tangerine tree. Some of the leaves are green, but not as green and robust as the ones on the other tree. Many of the leaves are brown and dry. As a matter of fact, some have fallen off the tree. And some of the branches are barren-they have no leaves on them. These branches are dead. To be fair, while this tree could also use some trimming, (at the time that the photo was taken) plum tree blooming season had already come and gone. So, naturally, it would not produce fruit at the same time as the tangerine tree would. But there is a noticeable difference between the two trees. One looks healthy and the other not so much. But I when looked at both trees and then looked down at the water hose that is running along both trees, it made me think of our lives and God.

There are times when our lives are going extremely well. Our families and loved ones are healthy and doing well. Maybe you have celebrated some accomplishments-perhaps yours or those of the ones you love. Perhaps you have been healed or delivered from something. All the things we have prayed to God for, He has answered with a resounding “yes”. We feel blessed beyond measure and highly favored.

But there are times when life is just hard. It could be that our closest relationships are strained. You, a relative, or a friend is ill-perhaps terminally. Financial burdens continue to pile up. Your job has become more difficult as the company you work for is trying to do more with less. You still have a job, but you’re straining to do the work of three people. You’re seeking God for wisdom, for answers. And yet, it feels like the more you pray, the less you see God moving in your situation(s). He appears to be silent. We feel as though God has left the building, so to speak.

The water hose that runs along and waters both trees reminded me of two things:

1)   God is present. He promises us in His Word (Hebrews 13:5) that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God is causing the tangerine tree to flourish, and He is the same God that is allowing some leaves to die and fall off the plum tree at the same time. God is present. All the time. In the wonderful. In the exciting. In the hard. In the dark. He has not left us. He has not deserted you. I think about Joseph who was sold into slavery by his very own brothers. We see throughout that story in Genesis 39 that “…the LORD was with Joseph” when he was promoted in Potipher’s house and when he was sent to prison.

2)   God, the Living Water, gives life and sustains life. Water, along with some pruning, has caused the tangerine tree to thrive. Although the plum tree is going through a hard time and is in need of pruning, it is not completely dead because the water from the hose is sustaining it. Likewise, when we are focused on the LORD, by reading, studying and meditating on His Word, He gives us life. He meets us in the hard and complicated and He sustains us. Psalm 1:1-3 says:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

He is the God from Whom all blessings flow, but also the God who is an ever-present help in trouble. And because of that, no matter the situation, we can trust Him fully. May you be encouraged today.