Why I Keep Pictures of Random Trees on my Phone (and Why You Should Too)

Weird but honest confession: I am fascinated by trees. Not in a hippie, tree-hugger way, but in a "God is speaking to me through nature" kind of way... which I admit, still sounds kind of hippie... but I promise I just want to hug God, not trees.

I've always loved nature and being outdoors. Running and hiking are two of my most favorite things to do. But my fascination with trees oddly enough didn't start in nature, it started online. A few years ago, I ran across several pictures of peculiar trees in all kinds of circumstances that just seemed very symbolic of my spiritual life. So, I started keeping pictures of trees in my phone that preach to me.

Months ago I decided to go out on a limb (pun intended, you're welcome) and share some of these pictures with our church at the beginning of a message one Sunday. The sermon was about the power of God's Word to sustain us, and I wanted to begin by showing a few pictures of trees surviving in the most extreme climates and situations. That message was a little over 40 minutes, and only 4 of those was actually spent on talking about trees. Yet I'm still shocked by how many people, months later, still approach me about those tree pictures. I receive emails, texts, and DMs quite regularly requesting access to them and sharing about how much of an impact the pictures had on them. It's amazing the power that nature has to impact us so profoundly.

THE WORD

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

-Romans 1:20

Why does nature speak to us so deeply? I would say it's because the nature of God's character is revealed through the nature God created. We can better understand Him (and therefore ourselves) when we accept that the world around us is the work and creation of His hands. It's no wonder that so many principles and revelations of the kingdom in the Bible are communicated to us through the natural processes that God set in motion when He created the earth.

Jesus teaches us about abiding using a vine and its branches (John 15). Those walking in freedom are called "oaks of righteousness" (Isaiah 61) Jeremiah admonishes us to trust in God and in doing so we will be as "trees planted by the stream whose leaves are always green and have no fear of drought." (Jer. 17) The whole of the New Testament is centered around the Church's command to "bear fruit" (Gal. 5) The bottom line is, the Bible seems to be fixated around one big agricultural metaphor.

That being the case, we owe it to ourselves to pay attention to the landscapes and processes around us. Living in the technological age has brought much benefit and ease to our lives, but it mustn't be allowed to rob us of the ability to receive some of the most significant revelations found in the simplicity of our backyards and fields.

In an attempt to challenge you to look for God's voice all around you, here are three trees I've kept on my phone for a few years and the message they preach to me:

1. No matter what happens in your life, you can start over.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." - 2 Corinth. 5:17

If “born again” was a picture, this is it. Confession: my heart doesn't break over a cut down tree. Hopefully that doesn't make me a bad person, maybe just an uneducated one. Either way, I'm just being honest when I say I don't weep for the trees. I do, however, weep for those who feel like grace and forgiveness are out of reach.

Hear me, you're never too far gone for a never-too-faithful God. With Christ you don't just get a restart, you get a rebirth. You start over with new roots. It's amazing to me how in almost every corner of the world, in every climate, in every condition, formidable and inhospitable as the circumstances may be, you can find vegetation. To quote the distinguished Dr. Malcolm, "Life finds a way." (Yes, I quoted Jurassic Park.)

Every tree you see started as a seed in dirt becoming a twig on the surface. The reason life always finds a way is because Christ made the way for us to be fully redeemed and restored. Know that His mercy is made new every morning and no matter where you have found yourself up to this moment, you can begin again.

2. FALLING doesn’t have to mean FAILING.

"for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." - Phil 1:19-20

When I originally ran across this picture the caption said, "even though it fell a long time ago, it never gave up, it kept growing." If the goal is to keep staying up, we will all fail. If the goal is to keep growing up, He will never let us fail. He promises to use even our shortcomings, mistakes, and difficulties for our good as we love and trust Him.

One of the first scriptures I memorized in my teenage years that dramatically changed me was Psalm 37 which says, "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." The promise that God would keep my steps firm, even through the stumbling, was exactly what I needed in order to keep moving forward.

3. Our strength is found in what is unseen.

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

- Col. 2:6-7

Pictured here is the Tree of Ténéré located in the Sahara desert of northern Africa in the country of Niger. Up until its sad and quite amazing death at the hands of a drunk driver in 1973 it was known as the most isolated tree in the world. It was the only vegetation for 93 miles in any direction. When researchers studied the area they found that there had likely once been several trees and perhaps even an entire forest where it stood, but as the desert climate grew, all the other trees slowly died out until this one was the only one left.

As they began to study the Tree of Ténéré in order to understand how it was able to survive they dug a well next to it to find its water source. What they found was astounding. Its roots were stretching over 130 feet deep where it found a source of water well below the earth's surface. For perspective that’s almost half the length of a football field.

It lived for decades as the only tree in the middle of the Sahara Desert and as a beacon of hope that life can be sustained even in the driest of places so long as there is a source.

The Word of God is the root system for the believer. So long as we are ROOTED in the Word, we can live in a desert and still bear fruit. Your ability to bear fruit is not dependent on WHERE you're planted but rather on WHAT is planted in you. God’s word will not always be our escape from the desert, but He is always our source IN the desert. You will only be as strong as you are sustained by His company and friendship in prayer and time in the Word. Any tree that doesn't grow down cannot continue to grow up.

CONCLUSION

Look to creation. Tune into what is around you and how it reflects what's happening within you. Ask the Lord to give you an eye and an ear for the many sermons that your surroundings are preaching to you each day. Then, maybe you will also find yourself storing random pictures of odd trees on your phone as well.