God of The Living

I found this exceptionally uplifting and remarkable. I went to my mother's today to help her get her yard work done and turned the soil  for her garden with a Mantis rototiller. While I was there I tried to begin to remove downed trees that I had cut up and left dry for the last 8 or 9 months. They had come down during the late summer violent thunderstorms that passed through Eastern Pennsylvania. One of the trees that had come down during one of the storms had been and old Poplar my father had planted as a sapling. It had been my father's favorite tree before he passed away two years ago. It gave him shade in his bed when the summer heat would blaze in from the south. As I pulled back the dried dead leaves and branches to throw into compost I reach down and I see something that sets me back on my heels and I need to ponder what I am seeing. You see now...what I saw in the picture below. I have tried to show you the cut end laying on the asphalt so you know I am not trying to deceive you. There is even mold that was starting to form on the end of the log in white, the cut is that old.

You have to realize that I could not have made this up if I had tried. I then realize the reason why I am so stunned by what I see. The reason I am blown away is because I have only ever heard of this type of thing from the story of Aaron's Rod in Numbers 17. These pictures show you fresh sprouts/buds starting to open on a branch that has been severed or broken from a tree in August/September of 2011.


"...so Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the covenant law. The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff. The LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” Moses did just as the LORD commanded him." Numbers 17:6-11


Do I find this in any way equivalent of Scripture? Good grief, of course not. But it sure is neat and also encouraging. I find this the day before Easter. The day before Resurrection Sunday. It was my father's favorite tree before he died. The tree has been dead for three quarters of a year and the log and branches have been elevated and drying for as long. 

I know that nothing is outside the realm of possibilities when a sovereign and holy God is involved. At times things have been difficult over the last few years as my family and I try to stay obedient to the Lord...and pursue a calling to ministry. It just may be that God will act in time and space to lift us up and keep us moving. It is possible things like this happened before and I just didn't notice them but now if I see them, I tell any that will listen, even at the risk of being mocked.


I am amazed.


This tree was dead people. These branches had been cut into two foot lengths and the twigs and branches had been lopped off with a felling axe. They had bee aerating for months. When I pulled the dead branches off that were laying on these elevated branches I see that they have budded and some were even beginning to blossom and open.


To me this is a timely reminder that God can bring the dead back to life. 
To me this is a timely reminder that God is faithful. 
To me this is a timely reminder that God is God.
And I thank Him for What He is and Who He is.


I pray this encourages someone out there.