The Little Oak

Featured image by Ken Carley

He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks    that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

Isaiah 61:3 (NLT)

Look at the picture of the little oak tree. My eagle-eyed husband happened to get this great shot while driving in South Louisiana recently.

Look closely at the little tree. Do you see what makes this such a neat picture?

The little oak has fallen but is still thriving. Keep reading because there is something behind the little oak that I will reveal. You can see it now; you just don’t know it.

I learned that the phenomenon of a tree growing from this position is not that rare. Some varieties of oak trees can actually live to be quite old after falling over. They manage to eventually send shoots of limbs upward, and after many years you would never know that it had grown from a prone position on the ground.

Here are some reasons that an oak tree can live under such adverse conditions.

1. The stable root systems are anchored in the ground, tapping into water and nutrients even after the tree has fallen.
2. Oak trees have stored resources of energy reserves in their roots. Even young trees rely on these resources.
3. Oak trees are resilient. Some species can survive damage by using healthy branches and leaves.
4. Oak trees can regenerate naturally. When they fall, new shoots can grow from the base or remaining branches, allowing them to thrive.

Daniel, the Old Testament prophet came to mind as I read the key verse and saw the picture of the little tree. I hope you will read Daniel’s story. In it, you will learn of his faithful service to God. He was taken into Babylonian captivity from approximately age 14-20. He was made a slave and eunuch by evil pagan Nebuchadnezzar. Yet God blessed him and protected him. God even sent an angel to visit with him and to give Daniel this message:

The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God…

Daniel 9:23 (NLT)

What was it about Daniel’s life that guided him to serve God so faithfully in adversity? Do you suppose it was the goodness in his own heart?

Daniel was a good man who was wholly devoted to God. But still, he had a sinful nature, like you and me. It was God who helped Daniel’s faith grow.

Daniel was small when compared to his adversaries. He faced extreme hardship. But Daniel relied on his God-given resources to make him an extraordinary hero of the faith. Obedience, faith, prayer and focus on God’s plan were key.

Although there were times, he felt overwhelmed, Daniel didn’t let ravenous lions or evil kings drive him to cowardice. He humbled himself before God and honored Him with his life.

Once a believer chooses faith in God instead of capitulating to the tug of the world, the battle begins. Believers learn quickly to rely on God for growth and peace.

Like the little oak tree, believers are given all we need to thrive by our great Creator.

Root system stability, Stored Resources, Resilience

The Holy Spirit teaches believers who are serious about walking closely with Him. Like Daniel, believers need the Word of God and a steady, active prayer life to keep our roots growing down deep in godly wisdom, love, and a desire for keeping God’s precepts and law.

Believers are fed spiritually with the stored resources of the Holy Spirit. We cannot improve ourselves or find self-satisfaction. Our contentment comes from the Spirit living in us and the awareness of God’s grace.

Daniel found resiliency in his relationship with God, but God also surrounded him with fellow believers. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the same boat with Daniel. All four of these Godly men leaned on and encouraged each other by staying faithful and set apart. None of them wavered. And that is what true believers do with and for each other.

Encourage your fellow believers. Be faithful to the Church and look for places to serve and love your brothers and sisters with the fire from the Spirit. Otherwise, our lives are spent quenching our Spirit and grieving Him.

Natural Regeneration is the one process that believers do not share with nature. In the world of an oak tree, it means that new life is found within itself. But that is not where we find our hope. Our tendency is naturally to elevate ourselves by inner strength. But that is a lie for a human being. A child of God finds new life, which is regeneration, in Christ alone. Ephesians 2:1-10

Do you remember at the beginning of our study I told you that there was something more to come? It is the picture of a mighty oak that may be more than a century old. That tree is actually standing right behind our little thriving, resilient oak.

I included the mighty oak because it reminded me of our key verse Isaiah 61:3. Go back to the top and read it. That mighty oak has continued to live through frightening hurricanes, tornadoes and horrific Louisiana heat.

Doesn’t that sound like Daniel? He saw a lifetime of God’s provision and care. God was true to His covenant with Israel, and ultimately with the Gentiles, through the Messiah. And He will be faithful to fulfill the promise to bring his Children home.

Let the splendor of our God inspire you in His creation of this magnificent and mighty oak and in the phenomenon of the little oak. Our God is amazing!

Photo by Ken Carley

But when I am afraid,
    I will put my trust in you.

Psalm 56:3 (NLT)

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.