The Bible is wonderfully imaginative.
One of the metaphors I love reading about is the one used to emote nature, particularly trees.
Trees are some of my favorite things. I am making my way through the book The Hidden Life of Trees, a wonderful exploration of the composition and liveliness of trees.
Today, God spoke to me about a tree:
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:3
Oaks are big and strong trees. This is how God wants us to be in the spirit despite how we might feel in the flesh. As Lori Stanely Roeleveld writes,
“Oaks are hardy trees with a deep system of roots anchoring them securely so they can withstand many seasons of hardship and storm. Oak wood is known for its strength, hardness, and resistance to predators and other destructive growth.”
God takes the grief, mourning, and despair of life and transforms us into strong oaks of righteousness. Only he can take what’s meant to be destructive and predatory and turn it into strength. He shows us that by taking us through difficult times, we are able to withstand them.
I also love Psalm that references the blessed man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord”:
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:3
There is a flourishing, a joy, a successful life promised to these tree people. The Bible mentions other trees in the bible such as Cedar (The Temple), Almond, Olive, Fig, and Acacia (The Ark of the Covenant), Cypress (Noah’s Art). Even the beginning and fall of humanity centered around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Our defeat came by way of a tree, but thank God our redemption rested on a tree-like cross that carried the Savior of the world.