Do you feel like a well-watered oak tree planted along the riverbank growing strong and tall with its leaves abundant and supple? Or, are you more like a dried out pine trying to survive in the desert sun desperately stretching your shallow roots to no avail? Life can feel like that sometimes, can’t it? Things are either going well, or they’re not. Why does it seem so hard to have a steady middle ground no matter the emotional weather forecast? Our circumstances are often in a constant state of flux and feeling well-watered is a challenge for most of us.
I was reading Psalm 1:3 this morning and the description really caught my attention. “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do.” They bear fruit in each season. The metaphor of seasons is so aptly placed. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, all have their particular marks of a life cycle. How well can we relate to the ease of Summer, the quietness of Fall, the harshness of Winter and the joy of Spring? While these seasons all have their distinct pleasures they have a way of affecting our moods.
When life’s circumstances hit us like a harsh winter storm we can easily fall prey to the beating winds that tear off all our leaves and leave us feeling bare and empty. We can pull back and retreat into hibernation. Deep inside we can long for the days of Spring when the new shoots will start to pop out all fresh and green with life abundant. Probably many of us would prefer a steady stream of Summer and the easy, breezy days it conjures up. Well, this verse tells us that we can!
The previous verse tells us how we can “bear fruit in every season”. In other words, how we can thrive through the harsh storms with all our emotional leaves intact and lush, Verse 2 says “But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night”. To read God’s Word and to meditate means to listen to him, to hear what he is telling us about navigating life. If we begin to see things from his perspective— a heavenly view— it can be life-changing.
But this is not a “one-time” thing. It takes daily intention. We can’t just do a 30,000 foot aerial view and then drop back down and expect it to stay Summer. It’s a daily practice. A discipline. It is in fact a choice to be made. Do you want to be that strong oak whose leaves never wither no matter the circumstance? I don’t think most of us would prefer to end up like the dried up pine blown away like chaff, hollow and brittle to the touch. Rather, most of us prefer to be people of substance—flourishing even in our hard times. Our circumstances don’t have to control us. We can pray through our circumstances and trust in the promises of a God who sees all, knows all and is concerned about every aspect of our lives. Ask him to speak his truth into your life and feel your roots reach down deep into the well of his love. Feed your soul in the rich soil of wisdom and stand firm no matter what the seasons may bring. You are meant to flourish and flourish you will…
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” Proverbs 9:10