A PLANTING OF THE LORD

            “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His spender.”  Is. 61:3

            “Beauty for ashes.” Have you ever seen a wildflower growing on charred, burned ground?  A bright jewel shinning amongst the blackened remains of a forest.  New life where there was only desolation and loss. 

            One time Jim, Stephen’s father, five year old Stephen and I went to a burned out area in the mountains to hunt for mushrooms to sell. The wildfire had been huge, taking out a whole mountain. Devastation surrounded us, nothing but black dusty ashes and burned out stumps.  At first we moved slowly, reluctantly moving into the depressing area where once had been tall firs, green undergrowth and lush grass. The sun bore down on the treeless mountainside making the heat unbearable.  Disgruntled, I sat down by a blackened log and pulled my water bottle out of my pack.  I was sure there was not a growing thing in this whole ruined wasted wilderness.

            Then a shout split the hot air, “I found one!” 

            A childish cry followed, “Here’s another one, Dad!”  The hunt was on.  The mushrooms were indeed there, hiding beneath the ashes, peeking out of the black dust, growing amongst the devastation.

            Hours later dragging a full five gallon bucket and almost over come by the heat, I staggered to the shade of a large black stump and sat down, not concerned about the soot that blackened my clothes. Soon a grinning Jim and Stephen joined me and I burst out laughing.  Their faces and hands were totally black.  White teethe and the whites of their eyes shone as they pointed at me and broke into peals of laughter.  There wasn’t an inch of us that wasn’t sweaty and black and dusty, but our buckets were full of mushrooms and we had found beauty in the ashes. 

            “Hey”, Jim said, pointing to the river far below, “bet we can find a place to swim down there”. 

            Beauty for ashes.  Wonderful things coming out of bad.  Growth were there is only devastation.  A planting of the Lord.  Seed sprouting and coming up where there is only dry desert. A dead tree springing to life.

            The tree in our yard was dead.  I was sure the cold and freeze of winter had killed its roots.  Only a small thing anyway, with spindly branches it was good for nothing, really. It gave no shade, drank water and was only in the way, so I told John to cut it down.  He didn’t and I fumed. 

            Dumb ole thing, it’s only in my way.  I should just get the chainsaw and take it out. After all it’s dead.”

            Then one day I noticed some buds on the stark bare branches.  Would they actually leaf out?  So I watered it and a few days later the buds were bigger.  Slowly I watched as the buds swelled and many days later began to unfold.  Now lovely green leaves grace those pitiful branches. 

            Like that tree my heart has been frozen in deep freeze.  Winter descended on my life, my roots stressed, my branches dormant, the sap drained out so that I would surely die.  It seemed life no longer flowed in my soul. 

            It seems I will hurt forever.  The pain is constantly with me and it becomes wearisome.   The loss inside leaves an emptiness. Even though I have peace, at times the emptiness threatens to overcome.

            Yet, I know spring will come.  The long, cold winter will pass.  My heart is not dead.  The sap will flow again. God’s love flows within me.  His love fills the emptiness.  My branches have small buds. 

            God waters and nurtures me back to the living.  If I allow Him to, He will heal my broken heart.  But I must let Him heal me, to work in my life.  I must allow him to nurture me, feed me, grow me with His enabling. 

            He will bring life from death.  Beauty from ashes. Good from bad.  Light from darkness.  Buds from a bare branch.  I am His planting. A tree planted by His waters.  My roots shall grow deep within Him and I will not be moved. 

            Like that little tree, which now I am so glad John did not cut down, I will once again leaf out.  I will be fruitful.  I will shine with God’s glory.  I will stand. I will sing. I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  He puts a song in my mouth.  I am not dead.  I will live.  I will flourish.  “A planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.”

            “For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” Is. 61:11

GARMENT OF PRAISE

            Jesus says, “He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to comfort those who mourn, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”  Is. 61:1-3

           When I am hurting the most, when it seems my heart is ripped in two and a dagger is thrust into my chest, when my knees are so weak I can barely stand and it seems the anguish will drive me insane, especially in times like these, I praise Jesus.

            Sounds crazy, I know, and sometimes all I can do is whisper, Thank you Jesus.  Then I can say, “Thank you Jesus for your love that never ends.  Thank you for your great comfort. Thank you for Your wings of shelter.  Thank you that my son is with you.  Thank you Jesus that he is right now with his dad.  Thank you Jesus for giving me John, and my grandkids and all my wonderful friends and family.”

            Then like a cloak surrounding me, covering me, warming me, peace enfolds my soul.  The terrible heaviness that seemed to squeeze the life out of my body lifts and I can once more breathe easy.  Praise is like a garment, a mantle that covers me and indeed lifts the heaviness.  I am no longer bowed down but can stand straight.  I no longer have weak knees but can walk.  I no longer stumble and fall but can soar on wings of an eagle.         

            Praise to all Mighty God, thanksgiving to my Savior dispels the spirit of despair, and lifts the heaviness that sits on my heart like an elephant. Joy seeps slowly into the very core of my being, flowing into every crack and crevice of my heart. The oil of joy flowing over my spirit comes from God.  Joy when there should be despair, deep and unexplainable, welling up in my soul, lifting my head, putting a smile on my lips.

How can this be?  This praise when my heart is so broken and I want to scream and rail and stomp?  This joy when despair fills my heart and I want to run and hide and never come out? 

            This garment of praise, which is like a cloak covering, warming protecting me from the spirit of despair comes only from Jesus.  He gives it to me when the pain strikes like a dagger in my heart.

            When I lost Jim, Stephen’s dad, God taught me about praising Him when things were at the worst.  That with praise my eyes are lifted off my circumstances and pain to His face.  My head is lifted, my knees are strengthened, my hand rests in the hand of God.  With praise and thanksgiving, I can accept what comes from the hand of God trusting all He does is for my and my loved ones good.  Praise brings trust and adoration and worship.  Most of all praise prepares the way for God to heal our hearts.

            If you remember a few months back, God reminded me of this and also taught me another principal about praise.  Here is a bit of what I wrote in “Soli Deo Gloria.  To God Alone be the Glory.”            

When we thank Him for something undesirable, we surrender completely to His will.  We lay our lives totally in His hands and say, “Whatever You do is okay.  I trust You.”  That opens the door for the peace that surpasses all understanding, thus contentment, to flow into our lives and for His love to begin a work of healing in our hearts.  

 I know this from my past, but now I see something else. As I stand on my mini-mountain top, arms spread wide, turning slowly in circles, taking in the gorgeous scene around me, scales are indeed peeled from my eyes and I see His glory.

 Thanksgiving is the gate to His courts.  With thanksgiving and praise I enter into His presence.  I was created to praise my Creator.  And praise Him I will!  Every minute of every day, in any circumstance, I will breathe thanksgiving to my God. 

            Or at least I will try.   

             I have come to understand that Praise and Thanksgiving are the keys to contentment, to joy, to happiness, to soaring, to victory, to seeing blessings in my life and to knowing God.  To being aware of the presence of God in my life at all times.

When I praise Him, I see Him. I know He is there and I bask in His glorious presence. There is, for the moment, nothing else.

            A few weeks before my son was taken from this earth and I was thrust in to one of the hardest times of my life, my amazing God not only reminded me of a once learned truth I would need to get through,  but also taught me something new.  That to praise Him is to see Him, to see His glory, to know His love, to be aware of His presence. 

            Now He tells me a new thing.  It’s in my heart, but how to put it into words?  This garment of praise Jesus gives me is actually His presence.  Praise makes me aware of His presence, the Holy Spirit, who enfolds me, surrounds me, encloaks me and lifts the heaviness from my heart.  He is, of course, always there.  The first few days after Stephen went to Glory, when I was hurting the worst, I could hear him whispering in my heart, “I am here.  Right here beside you.”  Praise makes me aware of Him, lets me see Him and feel His love.  My head is lifted, the spirit of despair is lightened, the pain eases.

            With praise I trust Him, through praise I see Him, by praise I am surrounded by His comfort.

            “Shout for joy O heavens, rejoice, O earth. Burst into song, O mountains!  For the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.” Is. 49:13