A Mighty Redwood - Trunk, Branches and Fruit

In the previous post, A Walk in the Garden, we touched on the responsibility that comes with accepting the invitation to dwell personally with God. The love He pours into us is designed to flow out through us to refresh and nourish others. Recently, a dear friend shared a vision of how we are to carry that out without being weighed down by the enormity of the needs around us. The revelation began with a conversation we were having about the physical and mental exhaustion that can set in as we intercede on behalf of others. I would like to take a moment to insert here that, if you are a professing follower of Jesus Christ, you are an intercessor. This is not a designation reserved for an elite group of "prayer warriors"! As born again and regenerated believers, we have the Holy Spirit within us and, as He intercedes for us according to God's will, so we are all called and equipped to intercede for others as He directs  (Rom. 8:26-27, Eph. 6:18). Sometimes that intercession is direct prayer, other times it is just our presence in a room or a simple act of kindness and grace. All of it is powerful and effective. The needs are many and, as intercessors, we often feel in the physical the weight of what's going on around us in the spirit.

As we talked and prayed about this, my friend saw a vision of a large tree. A believer was carrying a branch, but Jesus was carrying the tree. She said it looked like a gigantic Redwood. The message of the image is that it is our part as believers to carry the branch, not the whole tree, lest we be crushed under the enormity of the weight of it. This really stirred something in my spirit and, over the course of the next few days, the Lord expanded on it and opened up the following.

My attention was turned to John 15:5-8,

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father."

As I focused on these verses, the Lord expanded the vision to reveal that Jesus is not just holding the tree, He is the tree and we as Believers are not holding a branch, we are a branch. A branch doesn't carry the weight of the tree. It carries its own weight and the weight of the fruit that is produced through it. The Fruit of the Spirit is what we carry and make available for others.

"But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is
love [unselfish concern for others],
joy,
[inner] peace,
patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting],
kindness,
goodness, 
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control.
Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23, Amplified)

The Lord took this further and led me to Isaiah 11:1-2 regarding the Seven-Fold Spirit of God:

"Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
    yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."

Isaiah's prophecy pointed forward to a day when Jesus would arise as a new Branch bearing the fruit of a New Covenant. After His death and resurrection, He sent His Spirit to live within us. Now we are the branches connected to the Vine and, through Him, the Spirit of the Lord rests upon us. Out of the old stump, God raised up a new tree, the "Redwood" of Jesus. A tree trunk does not hold fruit, the branches do. The trunk pulls up from the roots all the nourishment that is required and feeds it out through the branches which in turn produces fruit. We can't do this without Jesus and He will not do it without us. It is a plan intentionally orchestrated to demonstrate real relationships with a living God, and His living Kingdom, all of which is designed to flow out and bring life giving food and healing to the world around us.

Each one of us, walking as Believers and intercessors in our day to day lives, are to be branches connected to that trunk (the Vine) bearing the Fruit of the Spirit  in our own lives. As we do, we can expect that the Seven-Fold Spirit of God will pour into us and flow through us:

The Spirit of the Lord

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding

The Spirit of counsel and might

The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord

Since the vision specifically presented the tree as a Redwood, I decided to look up some information about these magnificent trees and discovered the following:

• They are the tallest living thing on the earth, scaling heights of up to 360 feet. "I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth." (Ps. 108:3-5)

 

• They routinely live 500-1,000 years, but sometimes more than 2,000 years. "Before the mountains were born, Or before You had given birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God." (Ps. 90:2)

• Their thick bark is highly resistant to fire and very protective.
  “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
      I have called you by name; you are mine.
   When you go through deep waters,
      I will be with you.
  When you go through rivers of difficulty,
      you will not drown.
  When you walk through the fire of oppression,
      you will not be burned up;
      the flames will not consume you.
   For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Is. 43:2-3)

• Redwoods can produce and support whole trunks from the side of their main trunk. These originate high above the ground but grow upright as if they were new trees. Over time, dead foliage at the base of these side trunks becomes soil and forms an "upper ground". Complete ecosystems of ferns, shrubs and even entire trees have been discovered growing high up in the Redwood forest canopy!
  "The trees of the Lord drink until they’re satisfied.
      Lebanon’s lofty trees stand tall right where you planted them.
   Within their branches you provide for birds
      a place to build their nests; even herons find a home in the cypress trees." (Ps. 104:16-17)

• Redwoods grow vigorously up toward the light. They almost defy gravity in their ability to lift nutrients and water from the roots up hundreds of feet to the crown to support its own abundant life and that of many others. "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Eph. 3:16-19)

How perfect that He selected the Redwood to speak to us about abiding in Him - our Mighty God is no flimsy vine! Jesus holds us firmly through wind, rain, fire and drought! 

A few additional thoughts regarding "Branch" life:

• A branch cannot produce fruit on another branch - each bears its own.
• The Vine makes the fruit, we bear it only as we allow Him to produce it through us.
• We can prepare (expect) for our branch to be picked clean by a hungry world. No worries about this - our Vine is an endless Source! Abide!
• We can point others to the Lord when they see and taste the beautiful fruit produced in our lives. Ravenous pickers don't know Him - encourage them to attach their own branch and not be left behind for fuel. The heart of God is that none would perish (John 3:16-17).

Finally, I sense it's important for us to understand that activity is not an indicator of holiness or purpose. 

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

It doesn't matter if we're sitting around or running around. Resting or moving, if we're not connected and flowing in Him, it's all for nothing. A life of meaning, purpose and fruit that will stand the test of time and trial has very little to do with activity level (high or low) and everything to do with connection. Jesus is our source and it is His intention that we would have life and life abundant!
 

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
    with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
    or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit." 
(Jer. 17:7-8)

“Moses said, ‘Please. Let me see your Glory.’ God said, ‘I will make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I’ll call out the name, God, right before you.’” (Ex 33:18-19a)

Let the whole earth be filled with His glory!