And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4:13 (NKJV)
At this time of year, many trees have become bare because their leaves have fallen to the ground. There are remaining ones whose leaves are holding on, but eventually they will fall also. As I enjoyed my walk, I watched many leaves falling as the wind blew them softly to the ground.
That is when I realized God was showing me the process for “stripping ourselves” in order to repent and humble ourselves before Him. The trees were becoming naked - stripped, bald, exposed - for a purpose. As leaves were dying on the trees, they were changing to dark, dismal colors and smaller sizes due to the shriveled effect. They would remain this way until the early part of the year when new growth should begin, and new leaves sprout.
This is similar to how we can move out of God’s Will for us and take a different path.
I believe that we are like these trees.
When we have sinned, we seek forgiveness, but at other times, we need God to take us in a different direction or allow us to go through something in order to see the depth of our sin and how to get back into His Will. When He allows us to go through the trials, we need to become naked before Him, just like the trees. We need to be stripped of our pride; become uncovered and bare; and expose our failures to Him. Repentance can bring us down to our knees. This is when we realize we have gone too far away from Him. Only then, as we are low to the ground, can we see our sin and look up to the heavens for forgiveness and see God’s amazing love for us.
Why would God do this – allow us to go through hard times? These hard trials often send us to our knees. When we go to our knees, we have no one to trust or depend on except God. There is no one else who will always be present for us. It is at this lowest point that we realize we have to be naked to learn to trust Him again and prepare for new growth.
But as the trees have become barren, it doesn’t mean that the trees have gone dormant entirely. There is an entire network of activity below the surface.
“…it’s easier for trees to survive when they help one another
· Trees of the same species look after one another … and share water and food.
· If a tree is damaged and starts to die, its neighbors will pass it food to keep it alive.
· Roots spread through the soil to form a hidden web. Forest neighbors stay in touch with one another and pass food to each other through their roots.
("The Magic and Mystery of Trees”; Jen Green {2019, page 36-37})
There is constant activity going on among the trees under the ground. They are surviving each day by helping each other. When the winter ends, they will sprout new growth and new life.
There is also constant activity going on for us behind the scenes. God is with us through every trial and joy. His Word tells us that He is working for us. He is working before and behind us. He keeps us close as he carries out His Will. He knows what we need and how to bring it to us – through a friend who intervenes at just the right time; through a specific scripture verse that we have read many times before; through a direct conversation; through words overheard; through the activities of nature.
He is preparing us for this new growth and new life which strengthens our faith and trust in Him.
As we stand naked before the Lord – just God and us – let us remember that this is not a negative situation. It’s another season in our lives.
Thanks for stopping by,
Rachel
)
There is constant activity going on among the trees under the ground. They are surviving each day by helping each other. When the winter ends, they will sprout new growth and new life.
There is also constant activity going on for us behind the scenes. God is with us through every trial and joy. His Word tells us that He is working for us. He is working before and behind us. He keeps us close as he carries out His Will. He knows what we need and how to bring it to us – through a friend who intervenes at just the right time; through a specific scripture verse that we have read many times before; through a direct conversation; through words overheard; through the activities of nature.
He is preparing us for this new growth and new life which strengthens our faith and trust in Him.
As we stand naked before the Lord – just God and us – let us remember that this is not a negative situation. It’s another season in our lives.