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When my wife and I first moved into our house, we immediately fell in love with the fenced in backyard. Though it was small, it was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the busy street nearby. The only problem was, we had no landscaping. Being somewhat interested in plants, I decided that I would design and create our entire backyard garden. For months, I would go to the big box stores and shop their clearance plants hoping to find something of interest for cheap. One of the first to be planted was the flowering almond tree.
At the time of planting, I knew nothing about it. It seemed nice and fit the space I was designing. However, over the years I’ve learned a lot about this small tree. In the spring, it is one of the first to bloom. Vibrant pink blossoms fill the branches quickly and provide some amazing color to begin the spring season. In Jeremiah 1:11, God confirms His call to Jeremiah by using the flowering almond tree.
The word of the LORD came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”
Jeremiah 1:11-12 NASB
As I said, the almond tree blossoms early when other trees still lie dormant. In fact, other than our daffodils, I don’t know of any plant in our entire garden that blooms before the almond tree. God used this example for a reason. The almond came early as if to “watch over” the beginning of the season. It was the first to rise and is known as “the wakeful tree.” Unfortunately, for Israel, this tree represented God’s watchful eye over the nation. His judgment was coming.
It’s interesting to consider that many times we forget of God’s watchful eye over our daily actions. We forget that we have been given time by God. He is the one who will hold us accountable for how we used His time. The opening to Jeremiah is a sobering reminder that the Lord is not slow to act. He is always on time and works according to His Word. His watchful eye sees all and He will be faithful to deliver on His promises.