Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

August 13– Morning

 by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“The cedars of Lebanon which he has planted.” 

—Psalm 104:16

Lebanon’s cedars are emblematic of the Christian in that they owe their existence and planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God. He is not man-planted, nor self-planted, but God-planted. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart which he had himself prepared for its reception. Every true heir of heaven has the great Gardener as his planter.

In addition to that, the cedars of Lebanon are not dependent upon man for their watering; they stand on the lofty rock, far apart from human irrigation; and yet our heavenly Father supplies them well. And it’s the same way with the Christian who has learned to live by faith. He doesn’t look to man to supply his needs but to the Lord his God and to him alone. The dew of heaven is his supply, and the God of heaven is his fountain.

The cedars of Lebanon don’t need man’s protection from the storms. They are God’s trees, kept and preserved by him alone. It is precisely the same with the Christian. He’s not a greenhouse plant, sheltered from temptation; he stands in the most exposed position; he has no shelter, no protection, except this– that the broad wings of the eternal God always cover the cedars which he himself has planted. Like cedars, believers are full of sap, having enough vitality to be ever green even in winter.

And, lastly, the flourishing and majestic cedar owes its praise to God alone. In the believer there is nothing that can magnify man; he is planted, nourished, and protected by the Lord’s own hand. To him let all glory be ascribed. [M&E]