What Trees Can Teach Us About God and His Kingdom — Part TwoSample

A tree planted by water

In various Bible passages, people who trust in the Lord are compared to flourishing trees planted by water. By contrast, the wicked or people who turn away from the Lord are compared to a bush in the wastelands or to chaff that the wind blows away.

This imagery makes clear that the Bible deems a relationship with God of crucial importance for all of your life. That is not to say that God will take away all the problems, sickness, and poverty right now. He will do that in the future, when He creates new heavens and a new earth (see e.g. Revelation 21:1-4), but in this life believers will face suffering. Nevertheless, the Bible teaches us that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28, ESV).

God’s blessing can show in material and earthly welfare. But far more important are the spiritual blessings: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3, ESV).

Knowing God is a deep and stable source of joy and blessing. Ultimately, believers need not fear anything—be it heat, or drought, or whatever. As the apostle Paul exclaims: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, ESV).

Is your life rooted in God?