Hiding in Plain Sight

God hides many things for us to find.

  In the Book of Romans, there is a famous section about God’s wrath against all the godlessness and wickedness. Let’s take a look, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20

  The basic idea is that the Godless are without excuse because God left things that testify about him. Historically the Body will quickly point to a long list of his qualities like grace, long-suffering, or even some of the Old Testament examples of power like parting the Red Sea. But what if God has some other examples, examples that require us to slow down and look at the simple things of life? Well, then that will require a bit of wonder to see it.

  Wonder is an amazing thing and in the spiritual realm, it seems to captivate your senses. If seen, wonder snaps people out of the mundane “ick” of the world, to pause for a second to behold something the rest of us would never give a second thought to looking at. Wonder, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder. The problem is our eyes are so often entrapped into the world's systems so much, we fail to see the wonder in the Lord's hands. 

  The Lord has so many things around us daily, not to mention historically for us to learn from. I have come to the opinion that we only perceive and comprehend only the smallest fraction, let me give you one example for this article. 

Box Elder tree. 

  Out on the great plains of the American West, the Box Elder tree could be found in places of water. It was signaling to the weary traveler that this was a place of food, water, and rest. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5:14”

  Elders have a special role within the Body. They are held to some of the highest qualifications and are charged with various important responsibilities, like healing the sick. They guard, protect, and lead by example to the youth. Elders are often called Bishops in some places and overseers in others. Elders can protect a congregation by removing problem teachings (spiritual poison) or problem people. 

  The early pioneers learned from the tribal people of the west to make tea from the inner bark of a Box Elder to work as an agent to induce vomiting to remove poison.   But that's not all it can do. The sap of the tree can be used as a sugar to make a refreshing drink or as a thickener of foods. Saplings were even sometimes used as food by the tribal people of the land. 

  In some ways, does that not sound kinda like some of the things, symbolically connected to Biblical Elders? We guard, protect, feed, and refresh the Body. This world is full of little things that speak about the creator who made it. Some other plants and animals are symbolic of various spiritual truths.

Mixing of things

  In the Old Testament there are various rules against mixing unequal things, Two kinds of seeds. Deuteronomy 22:9. Two kinds of animals and two kinds of yarn, Leviticus 19:19 This was primarily meant to convey the message that the Lord God wanted his people to be pure, otherwise it was offensive to him.

  A good example of this would be a skunk, two colors on one animal, offensive to everyone who smells it.

Pine Tree

  Pine trees are a soft wood that many foresters almost consider a weed of the forest. They can be used for firewood, although they will not last as long in a stove as compared to other types of trees. They spring up as the first trees after logging or a forest fire in many western states. They are also highly affected by the rains. But the clue to its spiritual symbolism is like many things, it’s found in the symbolism of its own name.

  To “Pine” is a great longing for a loss. Just as when separation or loss takes place. Like a body of people scattered or shattered, the first thing that springs up is a feeling of loss. We “Pine” for what we once had. Forest fires and Logging can be symbolic of the events that often fall on our lives. Just as pine trees serve the purpose of being the first to grow and contain the land. To Pine, is to have remorse because sometimes you must be reminded of what was taken from you. Just as it was in the days of Ezekiel.

 The Lord took Ezekiel away from the place the Jews were sent in exile, to hundreds of miles away in Jerusalem to meet an Angel who was measuring the Temple. After watching him for some time performing his job Ezekiel was given the following instructions.

 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins,” Eze 43:10. The point was to pine, long, and grieve the loss of what they had so that they would repent. Believe it or not, this is the first step in returning blessings to the land.

  Pine trees are perfect reminders of this. When the long hot summers have entrenched itself upon the land and heaven has not sent its rains for some time. The long limbs of the tree start bowing low to the ground like a sign of submission. But as soon as the rains fall they reach back upward in appreciation just like a worshiper raising their hands in a worship service.

  Just as pining is symbolic of the longing for former things. The fire produced from pine is also symbolic as it is hot and short as a reminder that the things of this world and its pain will not endure.

  In my travels, I have been in a few places where the presence of God falls in a place. Suddenly everything thing is electric, alive, and filled with wonder. Faith rises and soon miracles can happen as everyone desperately wants to be in the center of this moment. These are wonderful, Holy moments that slip you out of this dusty world for a moment to behold the shores of another place. 

  Because of these moments, I realize the reality of the infectious power that God’s presence can bring in the flash of a moment like this. We “bind” ourselves emotionally to these moments, and carry them forever. Through every walk of life and every future desert. But even in this, the desert has purposes. First, it separates us from the ways of men. This is where we pine for what once was. And if our desire is strong enough, we will partner with the Holy Spirit to forcibly remove any mixture, any impurity within us, readying us for the next season. 

  Another thing the desert does is it teaches us to speak. I once heard some Jewish believers talking about the desert. Apparently, the original Hebrew word for desert also means voice. This means this is the place where we learn the voice of God better.

  This is the place all future Elders not only need to have experienced but be willing to stand by the side of the road and offer help to the Lost, Hurt, and Lonely travelers along the path.