The Planting of the LORD

We live in the country on the lakeshore. Today I mowed the lawns. While operating the riding lawnmower, I was taken with the beauty of the day. Today was neither too hot nor too cold. There was a pleasant breeze blowing off the water which kept all of the flies away. The sky was blue and the sun was constant. For the first time in over a year, I completed the task at hand without the usual feeling of complete exhaustion. For the past five years, I have battled cancer. For the past three years I have battled the lasting effects of aggressive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment therapy. I suffer from a condition known, not by the medical community, but by cancer survivors, as “chemo-brain”, the chief symptom of which is fatigue. Most of the medical profession refuses to acknowledge the lasting effects of cancer treatment. The very good news; however, is that there is no sign of cancer in my body. For this fact alone, I praise the Lord every day.

Our property borders on what once was a thriving potato farm. The fields are now being returned by the Lord to the forest that dominated for centuries. In the parts that are still grass, there is a wonderful array of wild flowers. The yellows, whites, oranges, mauves and purples are magnificent against the green of the fields in the bright sunshine. The expanse is quite simply breath taking. The words that came to my mind this afternoon were the “planting of the LORD”. Who else could have made such beauty appear during such a natural transition?

These words are actually a quotation found in the Book of Isaiah in the Holy Bible. (Isaiah 61:3)

3… To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

The prophet Isaiah lived seven hundred and fifty years before the birth of Jesus Christ. As incredible yet wonderful as it sounds, Jesus is speaking directly to us through the prophet in this verse. We know this because Jesus tells us this fact in Luke 4: 16-21. The quotation as it appears above is actually a prophecy of things to come when Jesus returns to this earth for what is referred to as the Second Coming. Jesus is indeed returning to this earth to take all believers with Him to heaven.

The words are poetic, beautiful and powerful. Instead of dressing ourselves in the sackcloth of mourning and covering ourselves in ashes as was done in ancient Israel, we can expect to be beautifully arrayed in splendid and joyful colors. Rather than mourning the disgraces, sin and difficulties of this world, we can apply the oil of joy. In biblical times, the application of oil to the hair and the body was considered a great pleasure and a great luxury. Rather that feeling the heaviness of our sins, we can look forward to being praised by the Lord Jesus Himself. We will be tall and powerful examples of goodness. We will be the “planting of the LORD”…beautiful and tall trees of righteousness.

In order to be the “planting of the LORD”, there is just one qualification. We must be believers in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Are you the “planting of the LORD”?