The
lone tree in the field across from my office remained a mystery. Acres of trees
had been cut down so the farmer could grow corn. But one tree remained
standing, its branches reaching up and spreading out. The mystery was solved
when I learned the tree was spared for a purpose. Farmers long ago
traditionally left one tree standing so that they and their animals would have
a cool place to rest when the hot summer sun was beating down.
At
times we find that we alone have survived something, and we don’t know why.
Soldiers coming home from combat and patients who’ve survived a
life-threatening illness struggle to know why they survived when others did
not.
The
Old Testament speaks of a remnant of Israelites whom God spared when the nation
was sent into exile. The remnant preserved God’s law and later rebuilt the
temple (Ezra 9:9). The apostle Paul referred to himself as part of the remnant
of God (Rom. 11:1,5). He was spared to become God’s messenger to Gentiles
(v.13).
If we stand where others have fallen, it’s to raise our hands to heaven in praise and to spread our arms as shade for the weary. The Lord enables us to be a tree of rest for others.
