The Wonders of God’s Creation
The Lord God, as Creator, has placed a great variety of fruit trees throughout the world. Adam and Eve, of course, only saw those growing near them, and it was left for people born elsewhere to see other kinds of fruit trees. This was the case many years ago in the rain forests of India and parts of Asia where the wild jakfruit tree was first discovered.
The fruit from this tree is the largest fruit grown on any tree in the world —some pieces weigh up to 80 pounds. This fruit, with its rough, knobby, pale-green skin, looks like a huge cantaloupe, and natives find it very good to eat. But there is a dangerous problem in picking this fruit. It does not grow on branches, but each fruit is on its own short stem attached right to the tree trunk. If one were to fall on a picker it could injure him severely or even kill him. So they either knock the fruit off with long poles or, where possible, use machinery to get them down.
Many of the wild trees grow in spots difficult to reach, so the natives just wait for the fruit eventually to drop to the ground. But these are often so ripe that they smash into useless pieces. Besides that, many wild animals also like them and eat them before people can get to them.
The fruit itself, inside the hard, tough skin, is in sections and about the color of an orange. It tastes like a mixture of pineapple, pear, and artichoke. But there is one objection to this tasty treat (which can either be cooked or eaten raw) — it takes a long time to get used to its bad smell. Natives have become used to this smell, but visitors to whom it is offered either turn away from it or have to hold their noses while they eat!
This fruit with its challenges is another example of the wonders of God’s creation. It is a reminder that while He does allow us to experience some trials and difficulties, these will bring good if we ask His help and guidance through them.
No doubt the first natives to discover jakfruit had many trials in learning how to pick it safely and to overcome its strong odor. But in the end the delicious fruit was worth it all. And so, each of us needs to learn that the Lord has something good in every trial we may experience. Through David’s writing in the Bible we have been given this encouraging verse: “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.” Psalms 31:2424Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24).
Do you hope and trust in the Lord Jesus?
ML-03/19/1989