selah.

“And the Lord said, 'If you had faith like a grain of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea' and it would obey you.'” Luke 17:6

In 1 Chronicles 14, the Philistines came up and made a raid against David and his army. After he was led to defeat them, David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like a bursting flood.” Therefore, he named the place Baal-perazim, which means “Lord of breaking through.” Soon after, the Philistines raided again, but this time, God did not command David to go up against them. Instead, He told him, “When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” and He did just that.

In the Bible, mulberry trees hold great meaning. They are derived from the Hebrew word Baca, which means “weeping.” In my life, they remind me of my childhood. When I was little, there was a huge mulberry tree in my backyard. I met Jesus when I was six-years-old, and it was hard because no one else in my family knew Him. There was constantly tension in my house, as a result of drugs, violence, and abuse. I was told I was being brainwashed by the church. When all of these things happened and I just needed to get away or cry, I would go in my backyard, and sit under the mulberry tree. There, it was just me and my Jesus.

Psalm 84:5-6 says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.” When we put our trust in Him, God promises to take our weeping and turns it into springs of joy.

Trials test faith, and refine it as gold in the fire. The LORD defeated the Philistines the first time, to increase the faith of David for the second battle. He also used the times of weeping in my childhood to increase and develop my faith for for future warfare.. As a result, my mulberry tree has been uprooted and cast into springs of joy, for my God has broken through like a flood.

Soon I will be going to El Salvador, where I will be serving and showing the love of Christ for the advancement of His Kingdom. I know that trials and hardship will come. In these times, I will remember how God has moved in the past. I will listen for the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees and go out to battle, confident that my God has gone before me. For I know that faith has uprooted my mulberry tree of weeping and planted it into a sea of joy, and it can accomplish even greater things in the future.

Acts 20:22, 24

“And now, behold, I am going... constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there... But none of these things move me; I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”