Trees

One of my favorite passages in all the Bible is Psalm 1:1-3.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law does he meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

This past winter was really hard on trees in this area. There is a tree out in front of the church that I love. It was so beautiful before the ice storm. But after that, it had to be pruned and reshaped and so many of its beautiful branches were gone. And yet I looked at it the other day and it is beautiful once again.

The tree in our front yard looked so funny after the storm because of the pruning, it was almost laughable. If you ever felt sorry for a tree, that was the one to feel sorry for. And yet there it is. It looks almost normal again.

So, what is it about trees? They are strong. Even when it looks like they have been defeated, they weather the storm and make a “come back.”

My prayer for all of us is this: God, make us like those trees. Let us bring forth fruit. Let our leaves not wither. And may whatever we do prosper, not for our sakes, but for the Kingdom. And God may you be exalted and glorified!