The Lord’s planting :IT IS WRITTEN

I love this song, based on ISAIAH 61:3: 

“He gave me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,

A garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that we might 

Be trees of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, 

That He might be glorified!” 

What does it mean to be a “planting of the Lord?” I have been pondering this concept which has come up repeatedly in various ways over the past few  weeks. 

THE LORD’S PLANTING

For a large, strong oak tree to grow, a seed/acorn needs to be planted in the ground and then watered; the roots need time in the dark to grow and spread out deep and wide, becoming  sufficiently anchored to withstand seasons of drought and storms.  

An oak tree remains evergreen and resilient! It is a wonderful analogy upon which to base our lives i.e., to become “oaks of righteousness, a  planting of the Lord”.  

1. We plant the “seed” of His word in our hearts 
2. We wash it with the “water of the Word” through daily meditating on Him – We allow it to become rooted/embedded in our thought processes 
3. Over time, we develop a deep knowledge of His character 
4. This becomes the firm foundation upon which we build our lives
5. Then we can withstand a variety of dark/dry seasons, while remaining full of life. 

“⁷“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in  him.⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not  fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never  fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

SOURCE OF WATER TO THE LORD’S PLANTING

When we are in Christ, we are connected to the source of Living Water. We water the garden of our hearts, by drinking from His streams of Living Water, so that we are  sustained when heat comes. By being rooted in Him, we need not worry or fear.  

He is the source of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). His resources are eternal and never run dry. We KNOW God is good! We KNOW God is faithful! 

It is in the KNOWING that we can press on through seasons of dryness, experiencing prosperity/ peace in times of drought. 

“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 (NIV)

BEARING FRUIT

The purpose of planting is to bear fruit!

Jesus is the master gardener. As we allow Him to tend to the soil of our hearts, making it fertile to  receive the Word through faith and obedience, we become a “planting of the Lord”, yielding a crop  100, 60 or 30 times what was sown! (Matthew 13:23).

As we plant seeds of faith in Him (the Word), we perpetuate the growth of God’s Kingdom, both  through of lifestyles of honouring and obeying Him, and through drawing others to Him.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, we long to glorify you!

We ask you to help us build our house upon the rock and not upon the sand. May your Word become the bedrock upon which we base our lives as we keep looking to You. You are our hope and our help dear Abba. What a joy it is to truly KNOW You!

Amen

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