Everlasting Evergreens

Dusk was falling and the dishes were piled high that evening in late October. As I filled the kitchen sink of our old country home with hot soapy water, I felt compelled to keep looking out the kitchen window. Our tree farm was dotted with thousands of sweet-smelling pine trees and evergreens. They looked beautiful to me, yet the previous owner told us they were unmarketable because they hadn’t been trimmed for years.

“Maybe we should bulldoze them and start over,” my husband Chuck had begrudgingly suggested.

I couldn’t believe they were worthless. With the soft light of dusk shadowing their majestic frames, the trees seemed alive to me and glowed with an ominous allure.
I continued washing the dishes, yet my mind was on the pines. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a luring voice inside me say, “Walk among those trees and pray over them.”
I obediently peeled off my gloves and without a word to anyone, slipped quietly out the front door.

The air was cool and crisp and smelled of rich earth and heady pine as I made my way through row after row of Norway spruces and white pines. How I loved that holiday scent and the happy, carefree, childhood memories of Christmas past it conjures. Add to that the fact that pine trees don’t completely shed their needles, giving a sense of permanence and stability, was comforting, as well.

I found myself connecting to the trees in a way I never had before. They were part of God’s creation, alive and vibrant. Like me they weren’t perfect, yet they still had a reason for being. I noticed the matted grass under the trees, evidence of where deer had rested. And I heard the light rustling of feathers as birds settled in for the night in the thick pine boughs. I realized these trees were being used by God to bring protection to His creation. Suddenly Psalms 148: 7 and 9 filled my heart: Praise the Lord from the earth… you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars.

I prayed over the trees, thanked God for them, and asked Him to bring us a buyer. I knew in my heart the trees had worth, and with the many expenses of the farm we needed the money. Even though I had previously contacted several nursery owners and none were interested (including our friend, Bill), I still had hope.
As I descended the hill toward home I thought of Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God had shown me the needs of His creation and that He was taking care of them. He knows our needs, too, and will take care of us.

Chuck was on the porch as I ran up to him, exclaiming, “I was praying over the pine trees. I know they are worth something.”

“Okay, Honey. I’ll call Bill again tomorrow if it’ll make you feel better,” he responded, half-teasingly.

At that moment the phone rang. I expected it to be Bill… and it was!

When Chuck finished talking to him, he shook his head in disbelief. “Bill wanted to know…if we still had some trees for sale.” Chuck paused and swallowed hard. “He has an interested buyer.”

God will supply all our needs. Our part is to walk with Him and be obedient, trusting in His perfect timing.