…the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.

Psalm 104:16

Our award-winning Short Leaf Pine tree recently died. It ranked fourth in size in the great state of Texas. The trunk measured thirteen feet in circumference. I often wondered why it lived so long and grew so big. Who planted it? Was it the product of a seed carried by the wind? Did a squirrel shredding a pine cone release the seed that began its life?

Perhaps the death of that magnificent tree sensitized me to a phrase in Psalm 104.  

The trees of the LORD are well watered,

the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.

The Psalmist referenced the LORD planting the Cedars of Lebanon, the towering forests of Lebanon. These same trees would eventually float down the coastline to panel the rooms of Jerusalem’s temple.

The Psalmist saw how their grandeur pointed him to the Creator:

There the birds make their nests;

the stork has its home in the junipers. (v. 16-17)

How many are Your works, LORD!

In wisdom You made them all. (v. 24)

I will sing to the LORD all my life;

I will sing to my God as long as I live.

May my meditation be pleasing to Him,

as I rejoice in the LORD (33-34).

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Praise the LORD (v. 35).

Whether the wind or a squirrel deposited the seed that grew into our award-winning Pine, God was the One who made it thrive. Decay has now set in, and I grieve  watching the dead limbs collect at the base of that grand old tree. But, instead of looking away, I think I’ll choose to appreciate that God planted it for multiple generations to enjoy, to shelter wildlife, and to point to His glorious creative nature.  

Father, let Your works and wonders cause my soul to praise You. May I marvel and worship when I see both tiny Pine seedlings and their stately ancestors towering above. Let them remind me of Your world and Your wonders. May they transport my thoughts to the day when the trees You plant will no longer experience decay but will, instead, wave their branches in endless praise to You.

Linda Lesniewski

Note: Those stately forests of Lebanon have since dwindled to only 0.4% of the original forestation. Perhaps, God will replant that area when He creates the new heaven and new earth!