Taproot Church

The Trees Will Clap Their Hands

My 5 year old spent most of Monday evening weeping. My folks are coming to town and that afternoon the questions were being fired away about my dad and his very vocal denial of Jesus. As we explained the hard reality that Papa doesn’t know Jesus it crushed my little girl. At the age of 5 she is becoming an expert theologian and holds a deep respect for the non-negotiable truths of Scripture, even the most horrifying ones. By that evening, Sophia was literally weeping in prayer for my dad that he would finally trust Jesus for forgiveness and go to heaven forever. She asked for time alone to pray in her room and to read her Little Princess Bible. I too went by myself and wept quietly for my father and for the hard realization that now my daughter was being called to bear this burden for the lost as well. When I went back in her room she was sitting in her bay window in a pile of pillows staring out at the trees swaying in the breeze. The sunset light wrapped around her little body as if every atom of light was a gift from her loving Father in heaven. “Whatcha thinking about boog?” I asked. She turned and with the softest most sincere voice said, “I’m watching the trees Daddy.” I looked and noted the gentle, almost playful way the leaves and branches submitted themselves to the soft breeze. My eyes drifted back to her tear stained face to hear, “I’m just thinking about how the trees will be clapping their hands like this when Papa trusts Jesus because their hearts will be filled with such joy.” I wept deeply and immediately. It was more than tears, more then emotional, it was soul weeping. I wrapped her fragile frame in my arms and convulsed and we cried together. I begged God that those trees would clap their hands when Papa trusts Jesus. I thought of how the trees will clap their hands when there is no more war, or anger, or selfishness, or hurt. Tears ran down our faces as the trees clapped their hands praising their overcoming, crucified, resurrected Creator. We wept as the trees clapped anticipating the healing of cancer, and sickness, and sin, and death. I wept with my daughter because our core longing is to hear and see the trees clap and praise and sing and dance as sinners are turned into saints through Jesus Christ. We wept in pain mingled with joy believing that one Day, and how we pray that Day come soon, the trees will clap their hands.

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