Concrete River Beds and a Tree of Life

March, 2005

by: Lisa Hughes

Not too long ago, our youngest son, Mark, and I rented horses at the Equestrian Center and went for a ride. It had rained the day before so the trail was choked with mud in places, but the sun was bright and the sky was a magnificent blue. A perfect day to be out riding. Mark had ridden this trail before, but it was new to me. I was amazed at the places we rode, behind stables at the Equestrian Center, over by Forest Lawn Cemetery, up the mountain in Griffith Park, through a tunnel under the freeway, and over a narrow bridge spanning the L.A. “River”. Sitting on the back of an unfamiliar horse preparing to cross a slippery, mud-covered, narrow bridge high above the water made me a pause a moment and wonder if I was wise in proceeding! My horse, however, didn’t even shudder at the sight of that bridge and so we proceeded, but as we crossed I warily eyed the river below! I observed that the concrete river bed of the Los Angeles river has no place for you to grab on to if you fell in, unlike natural rivers which are lined with trees and have banks jutting out from the sides that you could eventually take hold of if you fell in. I did notice a few steel ladders that if you were able to grasp them you could climb to safety, other than that it was a swift ride to the ocean because there was nothing to hold on to down there.

That picture of the river bed was still in my mind when I read Proverbs Chapter 3 in my quiet time the next day. The writer, Solomon, is speaking about wisdom when he says in Prov. 3:18, “She [Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.” God’s wisdom, the wisdom we find in the Bible, is a tree of life. As we find ourselves swept down the river of life in the midst of a concrete river bed, we have hope because looming before us in the middle of the river is a tree of life whose branches we can grab on to with all our might. Prov. 3:18 says, “Happy are all who hold her fast.” Those who understand the value of that life–giving, life–saving tree of wisdom will hold fast and rejoice in the safety they find in its branches. Solomon urges his son (and us) not to let wisdom depart from your sight (vs. 21) because it will be life to your soul and an adornment to your neck (vs. 22). The wisdom of God will help you walk securely, without stumbling (vs. 23). The wisdom from God will bring you comfort so that when you lie down to sleep you will rest and not be afraid (vs. 24). Solomon reminds us that a woman who holds fast to the tree of life, God’s Word, will not be afraid of sudden fear or of the onslaught of the wicked (vs. 25). Why? For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught (vs. 26).

I had to ask myself, “Do I prize God’s Word like I would a tree in the middle of a raging river, knowing it is my only hope of survival?” I have to admit that far too often I don’t hold on to God’s wisdom that way. I can tell I am no longer holding fast to God’s wisdom when I am unhappy or fretful or grumbling. When I see those dreadful qualities in my heart then I know I have temporarily let go of the tree of life and am being swept away by my own wisdom or by the wisdom of the world. The quickest way to safety is to get back into the Word and to repent of my independent ways and my own wisdom, only then can the blessings of true wisdom, God’s perfect ways, guide me. Think about how you regard God’s wisdom. Is it a tree of life to you?

“How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.” (Prov. 3:13-15, 18).