Famous author and philosopher C.S. Lewis once stated that Christianity is an "agricultural religion." What he meant is that many times in the Bible, Jesus uses farming and agriculture to help illustrate the importance of faith and the Kingdom of Heaven. He said we have a Savior who is akin to a dying and rising god. Just like the seedling of a tree or plant; it goes down into the ground dead, but springs up alive if it has enough rain and nutrient-rich soil. Lewis would argue the same thing about Christ - his mortal body experienced death, but was later resurrected into the immortal.
One of my good church friends used to talk about his oak trees. He would often list the attributes of this type of tree, and how we could compare it to the Christian faith. It's incredible, but the tallest oak tree on record (in California) is over three-hundred feet tall. If given the proper natural environment, they can also live to be a thousand years old! Although these statistics aren't the norm for most trees, it's amazing to know that given the right environment and set of circumstances, the sky is literally the limit for these amazing trees.
We know that the oak tree reproduces itself with an acorn seed. Spread through wind or rain, new trees spring up and populate our landscape almost at will. God's design of beauty through nature is manifest all around us. So many stories and parables come to mind about seeds starting small but growing into the type of faith that moves mountains. The concept is that even a small amount of strong faith can make things happen in the physical world.
Oak trees have three things in common with our religious faith I think, and each one deserves it's own explanation. First is the fact that oak trees are known to be strong. Some of the strongest pieces of furniture are built from oak. Have you ever tried to move a one-piece oak desk from one house to another? It's quite a task. Well it just so happens, that our God is also strong and immovable. He is built to last, and there is no use changing His mind on things. Better just to follow Him and work together I think.
Second, oak trees are majestic. I mentioned earlier that some grow to well over three-hundred feet in height. They are a sight to behold in some places, often the center of a field or pasture. We understand that Jesus is also majestic. Indeed, he is often referred to as the King of Kings. Hebrews 8:1 says, "Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven..."
Third, oak trees often provide shade and cover. Both people and animals have sought shelter under these impressive, towering monoliths of nature. Psalm 3:3 says, "But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high." We often seek out God's covering and shelter in times of spiritual peril and hardship. We desperately need His Word and His church to help navigate this often dark and confusing world and to provide us with care and nurturing.
We are called as Christians to have a strong faith in general; a belief system with "long branches and deep roots." Otherwise, when the windstorms of life come through, we will topple or succumb to the temptations and sins of the world. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Though difficult at times, we understand that to have a faith with deep roots and a strong trunk, we must submit to God and to His way of doing things in order to survive the storms of life.
Faith is really trust isn't it? In fact, I believe that in most situations, we can use the two words interchangeably. I have faith in God; I trust in God. I have faith in miracles; I trust in miracles. You get the idea. And so the question becomes - where do we place our trust on a daily basis? In other words, how do we keep our faith strong? Do we follow a particular church or ritual, a certain denomination or conference? Or do we throw ourselves whole-heartedly under the shade and cover of God's Word? Hopefully it is the latter.
I will close by reminding the reader of the first of the ten commandments from the Old Testament carried down by Moses to God's people. It says quite simply, "Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind." It's easy to understand this edict, but extremely hard to follow it on a daily basis. After all, there are a lot of other shade trees out there, and they appear at first glance to offer the same type of safety. But upon further examination, we notice that those trees aren't as tall, strong, or majestic. In fact, if we get this first commandment right, the other nine seem to fall nicely into place.
Please remember that to have a strong faith takes a whole lot of trust, rooted in the only one capable of continuously nurturing and growing your oak tree. This takes time and commitment on our part, but it is worth it in the end. It is a type of faith worth fighting for.
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