Hearing God's Voice
Don’t Cut It Down in Winter
Don’t cut it down in winter.
I know every naked tree looks dead…
Especially when standing beside Evergreens wearing emerald overcoats.
Even worse are the naked trees amongst those wearing fiery red or pumpkin orange ponchos that flap in the wind.
But if your only indication that the tree might be dead is the absence of leaves, you probably want to leave the chainsaw in the garage. What you see is an indicator of a season, and not death.
And that is true of lots of other things as well:
Goals that elude you.
People that annoy you.
Marriages…rocky, loveless marriages.
Ministries that are struggling.
Projects that overwhelm you.
Doors that are slammed in your face.
Just because it looks dead…
doesn’t mean it is dead!
He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. Isaiah 11:3 NLT (Bolding added)
Who does that?
Ok. I realize this is a prophetic verse that takes us to Jesus. But as a Christian I believe it is God’s plan for us to characteristics like Christ. I believe God wants us to delight in obeying God. He doesn’t want us to judge by appearance or hearsay.
How can we do that?
I mean, how do we stop judging a situation or person by how it looks or what they do?
We know it’s wrong, so how do we do differently? Look at verse 2.
And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him–the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
Here’s the key!
Because the Spirit of God rests on us we will have the wisdom, understanding and even the discernment to see things through God’s eyes! We will be able to discern what is really happening.
And that bareness, that strange coldness, you feel,
may be God pruning you, preparing you, equipping you so you will be more fruitful.
We go through seasons spiritually.
Winters of renewal. Spring times of growth. Summers of productivity. Falls of harvesting.
The paradox of that truth is there can be one area of our life experiencing a cold winter, while another area is flourishing in the warm sunshine.
Awesome Word Pat. I read that tree roots in the winter remain resting but ready waiting for the next season which is an essential part both the tree’s growth and the forest.
http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/what_do_tree_roots_do_in_winter/
Thank you, Charlie. I always love it when you stop by and comment. You always add another layer of depth. You are absolutely right. The winter is critical for the tree. Blessings!
This really ministered to me today. Thank you.
God, bless you Lynnette. I am so glad to hear that. Your words are encouraging to me. I pray that you will have new hope as you share His hope with others.