Holy Seed

"And though a tenth [of the people] remain in the land, it will be for their destruction [eaten up and burned] like a terebinth tree or like an oak whose stump and substance remain when they are felled or have cast their leaves. The holy seed [the elect remnant] is the stump and substance [of Israel]." Isaiah 6:13 Amp.

Some of the greatest wonders created by God in our world are in the Olympic Peninsula. One of our favorite places in Mora Campground, Rialto Beach. Just nothing like sitting in the sand and listening to the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula is full of beauty since it's a rain forest. When the explorers started coming over from Europe, they wrote in their log books and journals of the grand Douglas fir trees that covered the the west. Much of the logging was done to provide war ships for Great Britain and Spain. Our family fell in love with this area from the first time we went camping there. Some of the later generation trees were not as tall as the old growth which were 300' or so. The fallen trees are so large, we have had grandchildren climb up inside the hollowed out center. Great pictures!

These beautiful trees call out for close inspection, otherwise you miss what is going on in these stumps or nurse logs. Stumps are left when the logger has cut the tree, or the tree has fallen because of age, or disease. First look says the tree is gone, what is left is dead. This is where close inspection reveals the truth. The nurse log will soon be home to a new generation of growth. In time, a new giant tree will come out of this nutrient rich log...that only looks dead. The stump has the same purpose, provide life. Look inside the stump and you will see all kinds of creepy crawlies in there. They are getting their food and shelter there. New generations of moss, flowers, and trees will find their way into this richness.

There have been times that I thought my life was like a stump. Everything seemed it couldn't possibly recover, but God's plan is always life. Life, life, life. Sometimes it seemed like the rubble was just too great to be useful. Go back to the top of the blog, to the scripture and read it again.

O.K. Now that you have read it again, did you see it with new eyes? Do you see God's eternal plan with new eyes? We all have feelings of life being down to a stump, but God makes that stump a nurturing place for the holy seed, us ! I've been thinking about this scripture for several days, and I am struck by the wonder of it all. All of us saved by the precious blood of Jesus are holy seed because of our new birth in Christ! I can barely write, think or comprehend the greatness of God! How many times have I read Isaiah? And this verse has become the rhema in my heart.

My prayer for the Church in these troubled times is for us to see these experiences we go through with new eyes, new faith...the faith as small as a mustard seed. God IS our Protector and Provider, never doubt that.

The next time you go to the Peninsula, take your camera and find the stump and nurse logs. Share the pictures with everyone you know and tell them of the holy seed that survives because of the glory of God. Who serves a God like our God? No one.