Hope to Arise
For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease.
(Job 14:7 NJKV)
Nature is beautiful and refreshing to behold. Many of us go to the mountains and the forests following nature trails seeking to relax and experience a sense of tranquility. The power of nature in speaking to our hearts and minds is beyond our understanding and it is no wonder that spending time in nature offers some healing to our disturbed emotions. Any time I look at a hill, mountain or tall trees, I am amazed by the majesty that they show and I am left wondering how they came into being and how long they have also been there. There is some mystic about the power of nature. In different languages and proverbs human beings are likened to trees, appreciating the magnitude of their influence, success, age or character. We also read of a blind man who when asked by Jesus what he saw, he said he saw men walking like trees (Mark 8:24). Interestingly this man was blind so how did he even know how trees look like, I wonder. Suffice it to say that our lives could very well be spoken to by our reference verse.
Brethren, it is possible for a human being to be all successful and powerful one day, but the next day, he has lost his position of authority and influence. Whether the cause of this fall is his own doing or by circumstances beyond himself, it still does not matter. To those who are watching, the individual has fallen from a lofty position down to a lowly state. It is also possible that you might have gone through a downgrading of sorts in your life and the feeling was like you have been cut down. Some of the losses we experience are our benefits, advantage, status, investments etc., and as others witness this loss, there is a sense of shame that comes to an individual. I have experienced this space. The pain leads many to being discouraged at the loss of their time, energy, resources, opportunities, at times even relations. It is a place where one feels dejected and if not careful would be hopeless. The pain of the coming down feels like cutting deep within. The fall compares with the loud fall of a tall gigantic tree in the forest, which has been cut down.
Our verse above, gives us hope that though this beautiful tree has thundered down, it shall still rise again. The tree trunk may have been cut down and yes it has fallen, but holding the trunk were the roots which have not been cut down. Roots remain in the ground unless they are uprooted or plucked. It is only when the roots are uprooted that the tree has no hope of sprouting again. That tells me that so long as the roots remain, there is hope for that tree. The roots do not dry up or die now that the trunk has been cut, they instead continue to feed the remaining tree stump. It is no wonder that our verse reminds us that though the fall is visible to all, there still remains hope of coming up again. Beloved, it does not matter what fall you have experienced, hold on to your hope of rising again. God promises to watch over you as you honor Him and wait for His faithful love (Psalm 33:18-19). He will not let you go down defeated for you are victorious in Jesus Name, pick yourself up and face the new dawn of your life. We will not get depressed but we shall keep our hope in God, giving thanks for His presence in our lives (Psalm 42:11). Beloved, be encouraged in the Lord for our problems produce character and our hope in God will not put us to shame (Romans 5:3-5). As our roots in God give us strength to stand again, may the Holy Spirit fill us with God’s joy and peace in faith. May we not fall into despair, but instead feed our your faith and arise. Beloved, start again and live, in Jesus Name.
Thoughts:
What has been your experience of rising again?
Where have you felt cut down?
How do you strengthen your roots for a rainy day?