Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3
How then shall we live, you and I, in the amazing grace of the Branch (Jesus) from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1)? That’s the big question. It all began with the tree of life (Genesis 3:9); it will end with the tree of life (Revelation 22:14). In the interim, in this life, how indeed do we function like the trees planted by the streams of water that we now are, in Christ?
Let’s connect a few dots, ladies. At the beginning of time a river watering the garden flowed from Eden (Genesis 2:10). At the end of time the river of the water of life will flow from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1). In Psalm 1, the blessed man is portrayed as being planted by streams of water.
Planted seems to me to be the operative word here. He who delights in the Word of God, meditating on all it means, chewing on it over and over in his mind with the help of the Holy Spirit, is the man who loves the Lord. That he is planted by the refreshing water of nourishing revelation is no haphazard thing. He has placed his faith in Jesus.
Like those redwoods who cannot survive close to coastal saltwater, he wisely avoids listening to folks who belittle or scoff at God. As these magnificent trees thrive in the rainfall and fog drip, he is blessed by, delights in, prospers with the watering of the Word.
In God’s time then, the natural outflow of the nutrients from His Spirit will produce that fruit He so desires in you. As well, others watching you will see Jesus in your “leaf”—your demeanor, your life. And yes, there will be that added benefit to you of not withering under the critical eye of those who mock your joy in the Lord.
Thank you Jesus, for planting us by the streams of your Word.
Nancy P
