Evergreen (sempervirens) ~ Trust in the LORD

I love Colorado forests.  There is something about the way the wind moves through the pine trees.  Unlike deciduous trees, pine trees do not lose leaves in autumn.  Instead, these trees have various forms of pine needles.  This allows them to photosynthesize all year without having to go dormant when the snows come.  They don't lose nutrients due to leaf loss, and they provide shelter for the ground below.

Yesterday I went for a long hike.  As I was praying, I asked God to give me an evergreen spirit.  Perhaps, like me, you have had a ‘desert season’ in your life; a time when your prayer life seemed to dry up and you could not find the presence of God.  How do we cultivate an evergreen spirit—a spirit that thrives under the hand of our Lord no matter our circumstances?

I believe a spirit that trusts in the Lord is one that DOES go through droughts, but is affected by droughts differently.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD.  For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” 
--Jeremiah 17v7-8

How do we learn to trust Him more?  In my experience, this comes from allowing myself to take risks for Him.  When He asks me to do something outside of my comfort zone, oftentimes I’m hesitant to obey.  I try to reason, “Lord, What if I look stupid?  What will other people think of me?”  But then I remember the times when people DID think I was stupid, when people thought I was crazy, and I remember it was always worth it.  

God grows us with faith.  Faith is the power that pushes our roots deeper into His love, and his Spirit is the water, always within reach.  Let us have enough faith to reach down and tap into that living stream.  Let us trust Him enough to go through the droughts, to let the storms come, and to trust Him.

“I pray that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love.”
—Ephesians 3v17


Lord, teach us to trust you more.


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