Sequoia and Red Wood trees are the oldest and largest living
things on earth. Towering three hundred feet above the forest floor and
drinking 800 gallons of water a day and living thousands of years they are the subjects
of legends.
One story is that
a well-hidden Giant Sequoia that outsizes the General Sherman Tree has been discovered in Sequoia National Park California, making this
mystery tree the largest living thing on Earth. This tree towers some
378 feet and is thought to weigh over 2.7 million pounds. Interestingly this
giant “Garganteum Sequoia,” that
grows along the foggy coastal areas of Northern California is a different
species than the highlands Red Woods.
I know that you can drive a car through one of the trees and
a football team can’t join hands and reach around the largest, but for me this
is not the lure. It is the awesome presence, the silence of a Red Wood
grove. It is like entering the sanctuary
of the Most-High God. Actually it is far more overwhelming for me than the
giant cathedrals of Europe, even with the brilliant color display of the
stain-glass windows. These relics are dead and in most of the world lie empty,
unused to worship God and sing His praises.
Entering a grove of Sequoia takes me away to a far off, yet
intimate place with God. It is one of His most magnificent creations, given to
us to remind us of His grandeur and grace. In the silence and solitude of the
forest we can find peace in the secret place of His presence. This peace
transcends all understanding, as we trust in Him.
The path of peace that meanders through miles of undulating
heaven-like cloisters brings out creativity. One of my favorite Psalms read, “In
His presence is fullness of joy, at His right hand pleasures forevermore” (Psalm
16:11). This is the feeling I receive when in His presence in the Red Woods. Genesis
2:9 talks of that “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that
were pleasing to the eye and good for food. I the middle of the garden were the
tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis
2:9). We know this story as it is the
beginning of mankind’s separation from God because of the disobedience of the
first couple. Even so man has continued to reach out to fill the hole in our
hearts.
Trees like the great Sequoia played a part in the building
of the temple by Solomon in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. The Cedars of Lebanon were the largest and
most beautiful trees in the Middle East. This cousin of Red Wood formed David’s
Palace as well and was greatly prized.
The Psalms are my favorite part of Scripture bringing
intimate descriptions of every emotion with metaphors like Psalm 1 begins
speaking of the man who walks in the counsel of God. “He is like a tree planted by
streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not
wither. Whatever he does prospers” (Psalm 1:3). In Matthew 12:33 Jesus
tells us “a tree is recognized by its fruit.” God wants us to bear fruit in our lives as we “abide
in the vine” (John 15:5).
Where can I go from your presence
is a question King David asked of God in Psalm 139 saying, “Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence? If I go to the heavens, you are there; if
I make my bed in the depths you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me” (Psalm 139:7-9). This plea and praise is
not one attempting to run from God like Jonah. It is an adoring description of
how God is always with us, guiding us as we seek Him in His faithfulness. This
description is a simile for me of the presence of God in the Red Wood forests
of California. It is as if these trees speak life into me as I walk by and
touch them, as I sit on the giant trunk and meditate on their immensity. I
stare upwards into the lofty spires, the misty rays of the suns brilliance
shooting warmth through the branches and above the cobalt blue heavens. This
cathedral is indeed alive with God’s awesome presence and enrapturing hand
holding me tight. To me it is like the
description of the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15, "But
while he was still far off, this father saw him and was filled with compassion
for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke
15:20). I have experienced this feeling once palpably as I prayed for the love
of the father in my secret space. I am reminded of how He lifted me off the
ground and held me tight for what seemed an eternity, His warmth and love sourcing
through me- it was ecstasy.
So is the glow and love of the
Red Wood forests of God.
The next writer in the woods put
it exquisitely as he wrote about the experience of the sanctuary.

My
heart soars as I write and re-experience the full sensual nature of this sacred
walk that I have so often taken with my wife Pam. It is her favorite place to
be or next to the sea, where the breakers overwhelm and fill us with His
coursing love and life. The sight of the trees rising to the heavens breaks
into smells of pine-like incense that wafts from the trails. The embracing warmth
of the suns rays searching us through the towering branches just seems heaven
sent and not of this earth. Sound? It is silent and there is solitude standing
small amongst such greatness. Who am I as David said to Saul and Moses to God
that He would consider us? It is a time to meditate on that thought of a
Creator God who would stoop down to save and lead us through the forests to a
place of safety in His sanctuary. “I am who I am,” God told Moses in
Exodus 3:14. He wants us to feel peace and uncountable joy in His presence. He
provides us with living sanctuaries that we might find a more intimate
understanding of Him and His powerful presence.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.