Morning By Morning #226

…the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

Psalm 104:16

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

The cedars of Lebanon are symbolic of Christians in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. And this is true of every child of God, for we are not “man-planted” or “self-planted,” but are “God-planted.” The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped His living seed into a heart that He Himself had prepared to receive it. Every true heir of heaven has the great Gardener as his planter. Likewise, the cedars of Lebanon are not dependent upon man for their water. They grow on the rocky heights, unwatered by human irrigation, yet our heavenly Father supplies their needs.

It is the same with the Christian who has learned to “live by faith” (Rom. 1:17), for he is independent of others, even in temporary earthly things, and looks to the Lord, and Him alone, for his ongoing provision. The “dew of heaven” (Gen. 27:39) is his inheritance and the God of heaven is his fountain.

In addition, the cedars of Lebanon are not protected by any human power. They owe nothing to man for their preservation through wind and storms. They are God’s trees, kept and preserved by Him, and Him alone. And it is precisely the same with the Christian, for he is not a greenhouse plant, sheltered from temptation, but he stands in the most exposed place. He has no shelter and no protection except the broad wings of the eternal God that always cover the cedars He Himself has planted. Like cedars, believers have plenty of “sap,” keeping them alive and evergreen even amid winter snows.

Lastly, the majestic and flourishing condition of the cedar is for the glory of God alone. The Lord—and only the Lord—has been everything to the cedars, which is why David wrote so sweetly in one of his psalms: “Praise the LORD…you…fruit trees and all cedars” (Ps. 148:7, 9). Thus, in the believer there is nothing that can magnify man, for he is planted, nourished, and protected by the Lord’s own hand. To Him may all glory be given.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Today Spurgeon compares the believer to the cedars of Lebanon, but the Lord Himself compares us to trees as well:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:1 – 3

Notice we are not planted just anywhere, but are “planted by streams of water.” Thus, God is indeed not only the one who plants us but also the one who sustains us. May we look to Him, as David did, when he wrote the following:

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me” (Ps. 3:5). “You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great” (Ps. 18:35). “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me” (Ps. 54:4).

Father, “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Ps. 145:15 – 16). May You be glorified!