[ROOTED] prophecy of the aspen trees
THE SEED:
Here’s something I LOVE about the Bride of Christ! The Lord will whisper to all of us about the same thing at the same time. You know what I’m talking about? Like when you hear something in your spirit or something comes alive in the Word or you have a dream. These are personal revelations. Then God waters that seed of personal revelation when you hear the SAME thing on the radio or at church or in a blog post or in a conversation with a friend. We call it “confirmation.” But I marvel that it is likewise “communion.” Because He is speaking to His Bride as one body, all sharing in one Bread (which is His Word). We are enjoying the union of community, and that’s when we are fully engaged as the Bride of Christ. As One.
I believe the Lord is beginning to teach His Bride about how to BE the Bride. How to be one. I’ve always been amazed by Jesus’ last prayer in John 17. Seemed His one big request was for unity. He’s starting with this whisper of the aspen trees.
Recently, I went on a trip to the mountains and went horseback riding with my little girl. Our guide, Sterling, taught us that all the aspen trees we see are actually ONE organism. An aspen grove is actually all ONE tree. It has the same root system. That’s why certain neighborhoods prohibit planting aspens because they’ll take over.
“So, the entire mountainsides covered in aspens… it’s all one tree?? It’s like a coral reef?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
It’s like the Body of Christ.
I mentioned this to my friend Becky who also just learned this amazing fact. And a few days later, my friend Erika (who lives on the other side of the country!) told me all about this mystery. How her and her friends were just discussing and marveling that aspens are one body.
A week or so later, Erika visited a church where a prophetic painting of an aspen grove hung in the foyer. The plaque below described the symbolism of the unity of aspens. All appearing as individual trees, but all sharing the SAME roots, the SAME foundation.
DIG DEEP:
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people
live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1
NOW GROW:
What can you do today to walk in unity with other believers?
Maybe forgive the church and try to find a healthy one again? Maybe forgive an offense from a fellow believer? Maybe reach out to that one person who keeps coming to your mind?
I think the bottom line of the aspen tree might be this:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
