CYPRESS

I am like the mighty cypress; from Me comes your fruit.  Hosea 14:8

    God is aware of the language barrier that exists between the spiritual realm and the physical.  Because we are earth-bound and our ability to comprehend His greatness and glory is compromised by our mortality, He is willing to tell us what He is like in terms we can understand.  He is quick, throughout Scripture, to say….”I am as a _____________.”  He employs the use of  illustrations and metaphors that are common to our everyday life.

    What is the significance of God saying that He is like the cypress tree?  He is telling me something about His strength and permanence.  The cypress tree is renowned for its durability.  The doors of St. Peter’s in Rome are made of cypress and even after 1200 years, show no decay.  The cypress groves of Lebanon are well known and referred to in the book of Ecclesiastes as ‘trees which grow up to the clouds.’

    My spirit drinks in the message of my Father today.  I know that who He is will live in me forever.  I know that what He builds in me is everlasting.  I know that the gift/gifts He gives are as strong as the covenant He made with Abraham.  Each one fashioned by His hands will last forever.  I know that what He reveals is timeless.  I know that what He births can not decay with the passing of years.

    I have been shortsighted in my lifetime.  Because everything of this world is temporary and easily slips through my fingers, I have been a victim of insecurity.  I have lost people and possessions.  Confidence in the eternal was shaken.  God is restoring my trust by repairing the vision of my spirit.  He is making promises I have only dared believe were mine.  At first, I couldn’t even see them.  When they finally came into view, I was hesitant to embrace them.  Loss was too embedded in my story.  But, He knew I limped in my ability to trust so He confirmed His intentions yet again.  Now, I have wrapped my arms around what is eternal, dance like a young girl who twirls on a beach, and celebrate the One who reveals Himself to me as the mighty cypress.

You, O Lord, are everlasting.  You are the Word, and what you speak, is everlasting.  I rest.  Amen