Are You Connected?

On our farm, we grow sandalwood trees, which are rich in oil. After at least 13 years of growing, they are harvested and sold to produce sandalwood oil. Surprisingly different for a tree, the sandalwood cannot grow to its full potential without the help of some other trees, due to a weak system for providing food for the whole tree. Although the root system itself is normal, it lacks the ability to find the goodness in the soil and draw from it. This classifies Sandalwood as a parasite tree. Without a strong system, the tree will struggle to grow, and will die if completely isolated. What is the tree to do?

God has made the Sandalwood tree to latch onto other plants and nearby trees and draw from their source of nutrients, these are called host trees. On our farm, we have three different sorts of trees which act as host trees at different times in the sandalwoods life. Initially, the Sandalwood is grown by seeds in a pot with a ground cover called alternanathera. Over the next two-three years, the Sandalwood roots will grow beyond the ground cover and onto another tree planted a couple of feet away from the Sandalwood. This tree is known as Sesbania, and will last for about six years, before it dies and the Sandalwood roots will move on to find another row filled with other host trees such as, Cathromium, Albizia (Raintree), pongamia, dalbergia (Rosewood) which provides sufficient nutrition until harvesting time.

From the outside Sandalwood looks greedy, or even weak. When you take a second look at the Sandalwood though, there is an enormous analogy between us and God. Let’s check it out.

Sandalwood trees need to connect with ‘host trees’ through the roots to be strong. Likewise we need the LORD to be our host tree, where we constantly drink from his goodness and love. The sandalwood tree doesn’t need to rely on anything else to survive when it has the host tree, because everything all the nutrients that sandalwood needs are found within the roots of the host tree.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

Some sandalwood companies don’t use host trees to grow sandalwood, but instead leave the tree to grow with its own roots. Don’t be like that – you might turn out an OK person just like a tree turns out to be an OK tree, but you will never have the abundant life that is found in God and God alone. I look around at the world today and see so many awful things – drugs, divorce, suicide, abortion and depression – and can only wonder at what would happen if the abundant life promised in God was there instead. Draw from God and continually put your trust in Him– he is there for you and won’t let you fall!

"But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God." Psalm 31:14

"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever." Psalm 52:8

One of my favourite artists, Colin Buchanan, once wrote a song based on Psalm 1, Grow Like a Tree. The first verse is as follows:

Grow like a Cabramurra snowgum

Steady and strong in the Lord

Facing the cold winds of hardships

With roots that go

Deep in God’s word

* How do we feed off God?
* Delve into His Word.
* Never stop praying.
* Memorize scripture.
* Have daily devotions.
* Join with other like-minded Christians.
* Glean from other wiser Christians by reading books and blogs and listening to sermons.


Check out Philippians for more on how to live as a citizen of heaven. When we are planted next to streams of water and positioned with good sun, and we soak it up, we will grow to be as tall as cedar trees and attached to God as the sandalwood connects to its host.


Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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