When everything goes down the tubes.
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
I wonder how long this tree was actively growing by the river. It obviously struggled to survive, you can see through the root system into the river below. The decades old tree either fell down or was cut down. Either way it was a lot of years of difficult striving to grow only to be destroyed.
We strive and build and grow just like this tree and often are cut down before our plans are finished. Businesses fail. Plans change. Wildfires burn. Storms come blasting through and we may be left wondering why God did not stave off disaster long enough for us to see things come to fruition.
A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
Isaiah 40:6-9 English Standard Version
This world is not lasting. Whatever it is that we are building on the earth is doomed to one day disappear. This may not sound like good news. The point of this is not to be discouraged from our building and growing, but to keep the proper perspective in all that we do. We are heralds of the good news that the Word of the Lord lasts forever. The great news that we can declare with confidence from a high mountain is that God is here and we are privileged to proclaim His presence and the lasting majesty of our God.
So build a business, plant a tree, learn a language or a musical instrument. Participate in the redemption of the earth. But maintain the perspective that only the Kingdom of God will truly be lasting.
Photo and text copyright David Brukiewa
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