Dear FCBC family,
Just last week, Pastor Lawrence, Pastor Kim Meng and I were privileged to visit the Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve in Lebanon. As we hiked along the forest trail for about an hour and a half amongst a variety of cedar trees and learned some of its characteristics, we were awestruck by this special tree.
The Lebanon cedar is a large tree that can grow up to 120 or 130 feet. It has a conical shape when young. But when fully grown, it has a flat crown and horizontal branches, creating a grand, tiered silhouette. It has greyish-brown bark and short, dark green needles. The size and longevity of the cedar tree symbolises strength, and in Lebanon, the tree serves as an important cultural symbol immortalised on the nation’s flag. These noble trees can even grow among the snow, on the highest parts of Mount Lebanon. During our time in the reserve, we saw many cedar trees of varying ages, from saplings to aged trees of a few hundred years old that had massive trunks of great girth.
In biblical times, timber from the cedar trees that grew in the mountains of Lebanon was used to build King Solomon’s temple. Besides that, cedarwood oil that’s extracted from the foliage, wood and roots of the cedar tree was one of the first ingredients in perfumery. The ancient Sumerians also used cedarwood oil as a base for paints, while the ancient Egyptians used it in their embalming practices.
Visiting this cedar grove was truly a highlight of this trip! Looking back, it’s been amazing seeing and experiencing God’s creation – from the cedar trees in Lebanon to the ancient pyramids in Egypt, even taking a felucca boat ride on the world’s longest river, the River Nile.
As I learnt about the many treasured uses of the cedar tree, I recalled these verses from Psalm 92:12-15, which I want to bless each of you with: “The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
- Apostolic Overseer Nina Khong