The cedars of Lebanon are a picture of the Christian, and the first thing you notice is this: they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is true of every child of God. You were not planted by human hands. You did not plant yourself. God planted you! The mysterious hand of the Holy Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart that he himself had prepared to receive it. Every true heir of heaven acknowledges the great Gardener as the one who planted them.

More than that, the cedars of Lebanon don't depend on human beings for their water. They stand on those lofty rocks, far from any irrigation system. And yet our heavenly Father supplies all they need! This is exactly how it is with the Christian who has learned to live by faith. He is independent of human help, even for daily bread. For everything he needs, he looks to the Lord his God, and to him alone. The dew of heaven is his portion. The God of heaven is his fountain.

And notice this: the cedars of Lebanon are not protected by any human power. They owe nothing to man for surviving the fierce mountain storms. They are God's trees, kept and preserved by him, and by him alone. It is precisely the same with the Christian. You are not a hot-house plant, carefully sheltered from every temptation. No! You stand in the most exposed positions. You have no shelter, no protection, except this: the broad wings of the eternal God always cover the cedars he has planted.

Like those cedars, believers are full of sap—full of life—with enough vitality to stay ever green even when winter's snow lies heavy on their branches. And finally, when you see a cedar flourishing in majesty, who gets the praise? God alone! The Lord, the Lord himself, has been everything to those cedars. That's why David puts it so sweetly in the psalms: "Praise the Lord, fruitful trees and all cedars!"

In the believer there is nothing that magnifies man. You were planted by the Lord's own hand. You are nourished by the Lord's own hand. You are protected by the Lord's own hand. So let all the glory be ascribed to him!