Today’s Readings: Ezra 3-4, Psalm 92, 1 John 1
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
In reading the verses for today, I paused when I got to Psalm 92. I started to think about the warm beach and loved the connections the writer of Psalm made to palm trees. Palm trees have a very distinct root system compared to other trees. They have a fibrous root system. Palm trees are known for their long life. Flourishing for a palm tree would mean to live long. Palm trees can even bend 40 to 50 degrees without snapping and withstand hurricane-force winds. The cedars of Lebanon grew to 120 feet and up to 30 feet in circumference. Cedars are solid, strong, and immovable. These verses let us know that as believers, we will stay upright, firm, and immovable despite the winds of our circumstances.
Jesus warns us that those without strong roots are easily shaken by trials and fall away (Matthew 13:5-6, 20-21). Without strong roots, a Christian cannot endure the storms of life. The righteous, in contrast, are not easily shaken.
Where are your circumstances right now? Do you feel the breeze blowing? If you are going through your own storm right now, first know that God is with you. If you hold true to His promises, He wants us to come through stronger than before and ready to flourish. Stay strong, keep your faith firmly in God.
Lord, thank you for making me strong in You. I pray that whatever happens around us helps us remain strong. We ask that in the storms that will come, we use them to help us grow. You are working in and through our storms. Thank you, Lord, for keeping our mind and heart focused on You. Amen