The Tree That Fell On My Head
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless God allows or helps you to succeed, you won’t. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” - Psalms 127:1, 2
Life isn’t all about what I can achieve or accomplish.
God desires to work on my behalf as I “sleep” in obedience to His will.
A WILD LANDING
During the summer of 1996, I saw the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in the middle of a road.
We were camping at stunning Zion National Park in Utah. Our plan was to hike the Narrows Canyon. We would hike up a shallow river bordered on either side by incredible sandstone cliffs, stretching up a thousand feet or more.
The excitement in our car grew as we drove through the park gate. Soon though, we encountered a discouraging delay. Traffic was backed up half a mile from the trailhead. Cars were at a complete standstill. A few of us decided to get out and see what the problem was.
Near the front of the line of cars we saw a huge oak tree lying in the road. “Oh,” I mumbled, “blocked by a tree.” I moved closer, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. The tree had fallen squarely on a car! The trapped car must have been moving at 30 mph. The tree, which had been standing for hundreds of years, “decided” to fall the instant the car was passing by it.
It nailed the car right to the road—it stopped it in its tracks. What was really strange was how the tree fell. The massive three-foot thick trunk had landed in the road two inches in front of the car. If it had fallen one second later, the tree would have killed everyone in the front seat. A gigantic two-foot thick branch dented in the top of the car, one inch directly above the passengers in the back seat. Because of how the other branches had landed, the gigantic branch couldn’t push the roof down any further. The car was stuck in the middle of a precisely positioned tree. The passengers’ lives were spared because the tree fell at exactly the right angle at exactly the right moment!
The people trapped in the car weren’t in the mood to talk, but I had to say something. Bending down, I looked in and gently said, “God has spared your life today. This happened to get your attention. He has a purpose for your life.” With that, I said goodbye and left. There wasn’t much else I could do.
HEART DEPENDENCE
We never did get to hike the canyon that day, but what a vivid reminder that was that there is no such thing as coincidence! The Christian who loves God will recognize the unseen hand of God always at work. This understanding builds great humility towards God and a dependence upon Him which gives much peace in this life.
Every Christian needs to realize that he or she, as James 4: 13-16 says, cannot cause anything good to happen in life. Psalms 127:1 reminds us that it’s only if God allows plans to succeed that they come to pass. “Unless the Lord builds…”
Knowing this is especially helpful if you feel called to be an initiator as I do. God has made me so I enjoy doing things that I haven’t done before. I love being God’s instrument to help others discover new plans He has for them. He whispers ideas into my heart (Nehemiah 2:12), and I greatly delight in seeing Him pull them off as I follow His leading. “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” (Psalms 138:8–we, as well as our enterprises, are the work of His hands).
Maybe you’re built that way, too. It’s very important that you not get prideful or lose heartfelt dependence upon God when He does help you to succeed. God manages things far more than we realize. The fallen oak is an example of the precision of His control.
Proper perspective keeps us walking near to Him where He can do more than we ever expected. Remember, He gives to His beloved (Psalms 127:2). That’s both a thrilling and a safe place to be!
“For Thou art my hope. Thou art my confidence.” - Psalms 71:5
“I will not trust in my bow (my efforts), nor will my sword save me.” - Psalms 44:6
"God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace (help) to the humble.” - 1 Peter 5:5
