Hurricane Sally wreaked havoc recently along the Alabama Gulf Coast where we live. The powerful winds and torrential rain caused extensive damage to our beautiful beaches and inland areas. Thousands of trees were uprooted, broken, or stripped. Many structures were impacted, and power was out for days in 96% of our county. Cleanup will take months as piles of debris line the streets.
Thankfully, our home was spared from structural damage. A huge pine tree in our backyard fell away from our house. PTL! The massive 30-foot pine landed about a foot away from our Adirondack chairs overlooking our pond. My, how God’s angels protected us and our property!
The fallen tree has been cleared off now, but I still look for it in our backyard. Its loss makes our view so different, little shade is provided now on sunny afternoons. I have marveled at the power of wind that snapped that thick tree trunk just feet from the ground. There must be a valuable lesson from the fallen pine tree.
Parables were often told by Jesus. In fact, a third of His teachings were parables. The Gospels are fill with the stories of Jesus which had a lesson. While there is not parable of the pine tree in the Bible, there is a parable of the fig tree. Pine trees are recorded a couple of times in Scripture. Isaiah 40:19 and 60:3 mention the pine tree among other trees to be planted for lasting beauty. What happens when those beautiful trees are gone…when they are destroyed by a hurricane or simply die?
Luke 21:29-33 is one Gospel account of the parable of the fig tree. Jesus was teaching His disciples about the end times. In the same way that fig trees mark the passing of time by losing and growing their leaves every year, Jesus promised to give signs to signal that the end of time was near. Verse 33 sates the theme of the parable: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” The words of Jesus will last forever!
So, God has been teaching me a parable about my pine tree.
I must be rooted and grounded in my faith (Eph. 3:17).
I must grow in my knowledge of God’s Word (2 Pet. 3:18).
I must stand strong against trials (James 1:2).
I must bear fruit in my life (John 15:8).
I must be ready when God signals the end (Luke 21:31).
As Scripture proclaims: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:8). Humanity withers and human accomplishments fade away, but God and His Word are eternal. Pine trees are planted and grow, but they do not last. Pine trees fall, but the Word of God stands forever!
Well I was just reading your testimony about the hurricane in Alabama and the pine tree! (Yes we lost everything after 14 ft of water from hurricane Katrina in 2005!) But, today researching pine trees I came across your article because I'm reading the book right now that Dutch Sheets wrote in 2015 called "Appeal to Heaven." The cover of it has a picture of the flag they used when fighting for our nation's freedom duringthe Revolutionary War- it has a big pine tree in the center and the words "appeal to heaven" (some of the flags they said actually said appeal to God) and they flew them on warships during the Revolutionary War! An amazingly I came across devastating…
Isaiah 40:19 reads “ the workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
Isaiah 60:3 reads “and the gentiles shall come to thy light and kings to the brightness of thy rising”
Can you tell me how this relates to a line tree please?
God's Word is eternal! We...are not. Thank you sister!