DAY 5 — THE BARE TREE

“God Works in Places We Cannot See”

During winter, a child stood before a large tree
stripped of all its leaves.
Its branches were rigid,
its shape lifeless,
its beauty buried under snow.

“Papa,” the child asked,
“Is the tree dead?”

The father knelt beside him and said gently,
“No, my son.
The tree is alive…
just not on the outside.
Right now it’s working underground —
strengthening roots, saving energy,
preparing for spring.”

The child touched the cold bark
and whispered,
“So the tree is resting?”
The father smiled.
“Yes.
And even in its resting,
God is helping it grow.”

Lent often feels like winter —
silent, bare, stripped, empty.
You may feel like nothing is happening,
like your faith is stagnant,
like your soul is as still as a bare tree.

But God does His deepest work underground.
In the hidden places of your heart,
He strengthens what cannot be seen,
purifies what cannot be measured,
prepares fruit that will appear
only in the right season.

Don’t misinterpret spiritual quietness
as spiritual death.
Roots grow in secret.
Holiness often begins in silence.
Your spring will come —
but for now,
trust the winter.