Oaks of Righteousness

In comparison the Oak is seen as this majestic beauty almost like royalty among other tree's, it's sheer size alone makes this tree stand out.  Perhaps, more then the sheer size and longevity of the Oak it is perhaps known best by the length and depth of it's roots.  Some researchers decided to do a study on the Oak so they grew the Oak in a sheltered environment and at the right time, after recording it's growth and length of time the tree took to grow in comparison with the Oak in its natural settings they exposed the trees that grew in the shelter to the natural elements, to the rain and wind storms.  What they found was that as soon as the wind came the trees were unable to remain standing but quite easily blown over.  In the natural, it takes time for the Oak tree to grow.  The first few years the main growth that takes place is largely unseen as the roots grow in size and strength.  Then, when the time is right we eventually see the Oak grow tall and big and live for thousands of years!  One of the major differences between the Oak that grew in its natural settings vs the Oak that grew in a sheltered environment was that the Oak didn't form much of any roots hence the tree being unable to remain standing when the storm winds came.  

The tree grew in length but it had become top heavy with little to no substance in the roots of the tree.  I can think of so many analogy's with this picture.  A tree with no roots and all its substance in its head not even the core of the tree itself and nothing to its foundation to help the tree to remain standing when the winds came.

 I'm not sure if I ever posted any blog with this story on it but when I think of storms I can't help but to recall an experience I had on my father's fishing boat... I've had a few including the times I nearly sunk his boat not forgetting the time I nearly beached it on another occasion or collided into a couple of cruise ships and I've currently learning how to drive and for some strange reason I'm not getting a whole lot of support in my adventure to learn how to drive!  ha ha ... so far so good :)   

On one such occasion on our way back from the trip I was siting in the captains chair and my dad was fast asleep in his bunk.  I'm watching in front of me while watching this gigantic dip in the water and I'm looking and seeing the dip approaching and I just sat there.  I didn't know what to do really, I kinda thought I'd figure something out eventually but I had no clue as to how large of a drop it would be to the bottom of this gigantic wave that immediately after the dip came crashing over the entire front end of the boat.  The impact just about nearly tossed me into the wind shield I ended up bracing myself just to stay in the chair just kinda stunned with the water covering the boat but within seconds the water cleared just enough for the boat to drop again.  When the boat dropped again the boat itself had this cracking noise and I really didn't know if my lack of navigation skills caused any structural damage or not, all I knew is that I began to cry out to God, "Oh dear God please let me see the light of day again," with the 3rd wave that seemed to cover the boat for a longer period of time.. I sat there for a few seconds wondering if the boat had turned over when finally the water cleared and my father had jumped out of his bunk and re-gained control of the boat.  

After my father had re-gained control of the boat he proceeded to teach me how to steer the boat safely through the rough waters.  Eventually my father felt I had learned the technique enough to release him to sleep some more.  As I sat on the captains chair cranking the steering wheel and after my anxiety settled I was able to take a look at the surrounding area and not just focused on the waves themselves.  As I began to take a look around the area began to look familiar to me as if I've I've passed by this area before.  It was then a memory came back to me.  The memory was of my first fishing trip.  At the time I was only about 7.  My stepmom did most of the deckhand work while the most I ever did was spend my time playing on the boat or lounging on the bow... the windshield of the boat had this nice incline and so it was a really comfortable spot and gave me some space when I struggled with cabin fever, other then that I counted the fish as my parents picked the fish off the net.  So, I had realized that, while at the steering wheel,  I had in fact traveled through this area once before.  The first time I experienced the stormy weather and waves that accompanied the such weather.  My first trip I didn't do so well as I got sea sick and when we hit this one rough spot I remember standing in the cabin holding on for my dear little life and while seeing the waves crashing over the boat I looked up at my father with the eyes that said, "please tell me that everything is going to be alright,"  I was about ready to freak and cry as the anxiety in me began to build.  When my father had noticed I was about ready to cry he motioned for me to climb up onto his knee.  It was obviously a different view from on top of my daddy's knee.  

So, that 7 year old little girl climbed up onto her daddy's knee and while there I saw something different.... I saw my father prepare to ride over each wave as the wave approached and I saw an end to the rough waters.  My father also taught me how to re-center my balance and overcome sea sickness to the point where I can cook and clean with the boat being tossed in every which direction ... the only thing is, at that time my dad was pretty much stuck having scrambled eggs on more the one occasion :)  

Fast forward 10 years while cranking on that steering wheel God began to speak to me.

He said, "Remember when you were younger and all you could see were the waves crashing over the boat?  Remember when you could see differently when you climbed up onto your father's knee?  Remember when you were no longer afraid because you could see that your father was in control and that you were safe? In the same way I am your Father in Heaven.  What you see is different from what I see.  My thoughts are different from your thoughts and my ways are not your ways.  I am God.  Storms come and go, storms of life, the too come and they go but even in the storm I am still God,"  

So as I sat there cranking the steering wheel I pondered what I felt the Lord speaking to me about.  As tears streamed down my face there came this revelation to me that as my inner-world was filled with nothing but chaos, struggle, seemingly with my soul feeling tormented ... I was hurting and confused but in that I kept turning to the Lord and crying out for Him to help me.  Help me Lord ... I'm confused and hurting and I know my life is not what you'd desire for me.  So with tears streaming down my face I responded to what I felt the Lord asking me to respond to...

"Lord, I'm confused, help me see what you see, help me to see from where you are my life and show me your ways that I might follow"  Quite honestly there can't be a more genuine prayer then that.  Later that evening we were anchored or docked somewhere and I got out my bible and I began to search in the bible anything to just really confirm to me that I really heard from God and I came across this passage of scripture... 

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on  him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher then the earth, so are my ways higher then your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout giving seed to the sewer, and bread to the eater, so shall my words be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. ~ Isaiah 55:6-11

We're not sheltered from the natural elements we're exposed to on a daily basis but I think many of us do our best to shelter ourselves in any which way we can.  It's human nature to not want to feel pain or suffer and I'm not suggesting that's what we set out to do.  It just is apart of our experience within the context of our humanity living in a broken and fallen world.  And for this reason we're faced with a choice.  We can be top heavy and rooted nowhere or we can allow the storms we face to enable us to become rooted.  It was actually the natural elements of the wind and the rain the Oak needed to allow for its roots to grow deep.  Over the years since I was 17 coming across this scripture, over the last 16 years having faced my own inner storms if you will, I've come to see with greater clarity the character of God.  I've learned to not lean on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5,6) and to consider my heart as deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9).  The only one I can trust is God, His character, and His word.  I have a choice to align my life up with my thoughts and my thinking, my feelings and the lusts of my flesh and my felt sexuality or I can align myself up with His thoughts, His thinking, His ways and His purposes for me in my life and what He intended for my sexuality.  It is God who created us as sexual beings in the first place so I'm not all that surprised that when left to our own devices and doing life as we see fit that our thoughts and thinking to do with our sexuality and relationships have become skewed.  If we come to believe the bible to be true then I can't see how everything else has fallen and yet our sexuality and how we engage in relationship with each other left in tact? I don't think so.  If God created sexuality then He has a design and purpose in mind.  Being born into such a broken and fallen world, I'm not surprised that our sexuality and relationships have become broken and skewed from what God originally intended.

Isaiah 61:1-3

New International Version (NIV)

Isaiah 61

The Year of the LORD’s Favor

 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
   and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
   instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
   instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
   instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   a planting of the LORD
   for the display of his splendor.