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. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. (Psalm 1: 1-4)
When we meditate on the truth in the Bible and delight in it, we will be like a tree planted by streams of water. We will yield fruit in season and not wither. Whatever we do will prosper. What an encouraging promise from God!
I don’t know about you, but I don’t always feel strong and healthy. I am easily uprooted when the storms of life arrive, and many times I don’t feel very prosperous. I often feel like a tree with withered leaves instead of flourishing leaves, and I fail to bear fruit at times.
When I don’t feel like I’m flourishing, it’s usually because I’m not rooted deep enough in Scripture. I allow the cares of life to distract me from drawing adequate sustenance from God’s word. I’m sure most of us want to flourish and bear fruit, so what do we need to do and where do we start?
First, we don’t seek our guidance from the wicked or ungodly. The world is full of those who are against God. We must make the choice to obey God’s word and not be influenced by everything we see or read on social media or on TV.
I believe we live in a time where it’s easier than ever before to be misled. Many of the things women are passing along and sharing on social media sites is far from biblical truth. It’s easy to click and share without even discerning if what we are sharing is true or beneficial for encouraging others.
I’ve seen everything from fake articles about celebrities dying, who are still alive, as well as ridiculous political news articles that are far from the truth. One of the funniest articles I’ve seen going around social media sites is an announcement that Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are no longer going to be made. It caused quite an uproar on Facebook. As Christian women, we need to be meditating on God’s truth instead of things that have no purpose or eternal value.
We are supposed to delight in God’s law, but we can’t delight in something we have no clue about. By reading the Bible and studying it, we learn to discern truth. We learn to trust God’s promises. Meditating on God’s word day and night doesn’t mean we have to carry our Bibles around and do nothing else but read them. It means we have a constant regard for the word of God. As we go about our daily routine, we strive to live according to God’s principles. We desire to live in a manner that pleases him, no matter how ungodly the culture around us is. We know his word and strive to apply it to our daily lives.
What can we learn from God using the metaphor of a tree? A healthy tree is one that has deep roots that feed and stabilize it. Its branches supply shade and shelter. A sturdy tree with solid roots can withstand storms. The leaves of certain trees contain healing properties. Fruit trees supply nourishment, vitamins, and minerals in the fruit they bear. A healthy tree has leaves that do not wither because they receive nourishment from being connected to the tree.
In scripture, Jesus is called the living water. When we allow him to saturate our parched and weary roots, we gain renewed strength and hope. When our spiritual roots remain in him, we are able to endure difficult circumstances. When we are strong and grounded in our faith, we can be a shelter for others who are facing challenging times. In time, we will bear fruit if we stay rooted firmly in Christ. This may require several seasons of being dormant and allowing God to prune us at times, but in God’s perfect timing we will bear fruit if we remain connected to him.
Prospering in all we do does not mean prosperity as the world views it. It does not always mean we will become rich or famous. God does bless his people with wealth at times, but he is more concerned about our soul prosperity. We have eternal life when we are believers. Nothing we have on earth will ever compare to what awaits us when we get to heaven. Now, that is true prosperity!
As believers, we can rejoice because we have a prosperous future ahead. The wicked have nothing to look forward to. They are referred to as chaff blown away by the wind, which is why we should never be seeking their counsel and should be delighting ourselves in the law of the Lord.
