I absolutely love trees. To me, trees are one of the most beautiful things that God created.
I love sitting under trees, and I love walking under trees, especially on warm, summer days.
This time of year, trees are so lush, so green, and so beautiful! I savor the beauty of the trees in the late summer months of August and September.
We have some beautiful nature areas not far from our home. One of them I frequent often. This nature area is full of many beautiful trees with a river flowing by.
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| Sweet summertime. My favorite nature area. |
This nature area is my happy place. For me, spending time in nature, God’s beautiful creation, is sort of like hitting a “reset” button. It is always so refreshing.
This summer, I have thought a lot about trees. I thought about how much I enjoy their beauty and their refreshing shade in the summer time.
I thought about how much we depend on trees for life and for living.
There are so many different kinds of fruit that grow on trees. Trees provide some food for us.
Trees also give us wood, something strong, durable, and reliable to build and make so many different things. Many homes and other buildings are made with wood here in the United States.
Trees give us a home to live in, a place to work in, and other buildings that are necessary for life.
In essence, trees provide both food and shelter for mankind.
A lot of furniture is made from wood. Many musical instruments are also made from wood. One of my favorite woods comes from the walnut tree. My largest harp is made from walnut wood.
Trees are such a wonderful gift from God!
God, in His great wisdom, knew that we would need trees to help us live. Trees were created by God on the same day that plants were created, the third day of creation.
The third day of creation is the only day when God said it was “very good” twice. I am beginning to understand why God said that twice on that day. Plants and trees are such a gift to mankind.
We have a tree in the front of our home that is close to one of my bedroom windows. I love that tree so much. That tree recently got a “haircut” (a major tree trim), but I still enjoy it tremendously.
In His Word, God likens people to trees in Psalm 1 - a Psalm that I love.
That Psalm begins by saying:
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Psalm 1:1-2
In Hebrew, God’s law (instruction) is called the Torah.
That Psalm continues with Godly people being like a tree, specifically, a tree planted by water:
“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Psalm 1:3
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| Summer 2025 |
When I took this picture of this tree by the river this summer, I immediately thought of Psalm 1:
“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…”
Psalm 1:3
Trees need water to grow, to live, and to thrive.
Trees planted by a river usually thrive very well because there is a fresh water source right there.
Those who delight to walk with God and in His ways are like healthy, thriving trees planted by a river. Like trees, God says they will prosper and bring forth fruit in their season.
I like to remember that trees go through seasons. In the winter, most trees look dead and barren. But in the summer, they flourish, especially near water.
Recently, my mind went to another tree in the Bible. This tree is mentioned in Exodus 15:25.
God had delivered His people, Israel, out of the land of Egypt and had taken them through the Red Sea on dry ground. (talk about a mighty miracle!)
After Israel crossed the Red Sea, the Bible says that they went three days journey into the wilderness, and they found no water.
Finally, they got to a place where there was water, but sadly, the water was bitter, too bitter to drink. That place was called Marah; Marah means bitter.
Moses cried unto the Lord about what to do. The Bible says it this way:
“And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet…”
Exodus 15:25
Why did I think about the tree that God showed Moses to throw into the bitter waters of Marah?
Allow me to share a little here.
This summer, I was invited over to the home of a dear sister in Christ. This woman is about 10 years older than I am, and she is married with children.
How do I know this woman?
I worked for many years in a small, local grocery store. That is where I met this woman about 15 years ago. I met many dear, local people simply by working in a local grocery store for many years.
This dear sister invited me over to her home several times this summer, and I have been richly blessed each time I have visited with her.
One warm, summer day in July, we visited on her back deck, overlooking her beautiful garden with puffy white clouds in the sky. It was delightful.
We shared hearts and heartaches we have faced in life. This precious sister has gone through so much; my heart really goes out to her.
I also shared some things with her that I have faced in my life, such as heart break and loss. I shared some things with her that I don’t share with many people. I may have shed a few tears.
After sharing my heart, my friend kindly shared something with me:
“I can see Satan is trying to make you bitter.”
I paused and acknowledged what she was saying.
I do not see myself as being bitter in any way at all. But sometimes, we do not see ourselves as we really are.
In sincerity, I asked her:
“I hope I’m not bitter?”
My friend continued:
“No, you are not bitter.”
“Satan would love to make you bitter, but you are not.”
We held hands and prayed for each other outside on her back deck. It was so special and a cherished memory now.
After our lovely conversation that afternoon, I began to wonder what a bitter person is like.
Ever since I gave my life to God at the age of 11, my walk with God has been the most cherished, guarded thing in my life. I don’t want anything to come between me and the Lord.
I decided to look up synonyms for bitter as well as the opposite of bitter.
The opposite of bitter?
Sweet.
Some of the synonyms for bitter gave me such a clear picture.
Synonyms for bitter?
Resentful. Harsh. Angry. Unforgiving. Spiteful. Nasty. Sour.
You get the picture. Those things can happen to anyone who has been hurt but does not forgive.
Synonyms for sweet?
Kind. Happy. Positive. Forgiving. Cheerful. Pleasant. Friendly.
I could almost smell the aroma of the lovely, synonymous words for sweet.
By God’s grace, that is the person I want to be.
Earlier this summer, someone encouraged me with something so simple yet so profound.
“Stay sweet.”
Those words have stayed with me all summer.
Bitter and sweet.
Bitterness can creep into people lives when they are deeply hurt.
Naturally, my mind went to the story of the bitter waters of Marah in the Bible.
God’s remedy to make that bitter water sweet?
A tree.
God told Moses to throw a tree into that bitter water and it would become sweet.
I believe that story in the Bible points to something much greater. I believe that story points to another tree in the Bible - the tree that God’s Son died on.
Most people know that Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) died on a cross for our sin, our disobedience.
The cross that Christ died on was a tree of some kind. That wood was likely very rough and crude, not soft and sanded down.
Jesus died on a tree for the sins of the world.
Like the bitter waters of Marah, that tree can turn a bitter person into a sweet person through the power of God and the shed blood of Christ. Hallelujah!
Though completely unplanned, at the age of 11, I gave my life to God while standing underneath a very tall, eucalyptus tree in California.
At the time, I didn’t think much about it. It was just a tall tree near our backyard. Later, it meant a lot more to me when I thought about it.
Jesus died on a tree.
Though we may never know what kind of tree Christ died on, there is one thing I do know.
What Christ accomplished when He died on that tree and shed His blood was enough to make bitter people into sweet people when they truly repent and give their life to Him. Hallelujah!
Today, I enjoyed a picnic lunch at my favorite nature area. I sat at a picnic bench while enjoying the beauty and shade of a very large tree.
Trees truly are one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind.
I am especially grateful for the tree, the cross, that God’s Son gave His life on and shed His blood on.
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