Blessed Living (3): Staying Connected
Read it Aloud: And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psalm 1:3).
Ponder it Prayerfully: There are many types of plants that line riverbanks. David could have chosen to use any of them. But his choice of the tree as a metaphor is no accident. A godly woman is not like a reed, a weed or a blade of grass. She is like a tree. She is strong and sturdy. She does not sway when the wind blows, like grass or reeds. Her leaves may move, but her trunk is firm and her roots dig deep.
She is planted – deliberately set or put there. She is not like something that floats around and accidentally lands by the rivers of water. She is not like a twig lying idly somewhere near the river. She does not just happen to be there. Someone, the Planter, tilled the soil, got the seed and placed it in that particular spot. She is close to her Source and Sustenance. Trees cannot grow without water. The rains might fail, but her root is connected to the River that never dries. Jeremiah says that this kind of person will not even see when the drought comes or fear in the year of drought (Jeremiah 17:7-8). This person will not know spiritual drought from experience, but rather only from hearing about it from others. David put it this way, A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee (Psalm 91:7).
This tree brings forth its fruit in its season – not anybody else’s. A mango tree will never bring forth bananas nor will planting a pear seed result in a fig tree. Different plants flourish in different seasons. Jesus said we are known by our fruits (Matthew 7:16-20). The Word says we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). A woman of God runs the race in the lane He has set for her, not looking back or to the side but rather keeping her eyes on Him. Every tree must bring forth its own fruit. We each have to know God for ourselves – through a personal relationship with Him; not through our pastors or through books, even though these are useful.
The fruit in a godly woman’s life is brought forth at the right time – not prematurely or when it is long overdue. Thus when the fruit is green, she is not worried that it is not ripening too fast. And should she be called home before she ever sees the fruit mature to fullness, she is not worried either; she knows that her fruit might outlast her, just like we are right now in 2010 reaping the fruits of the lives of people such as Paul the Apostle and others who wrote the scriptures, and just like Jesus who on the day He resurrected knew that “it is finished” was a cry that rang ahead of that time to forthcoming generations.
Her leaf shall not wither; this means that she is constantly and perpetually full of life. Because she is close to the Source of her life, she is constantly watered. It is for this reason that everything she does will prosper. Nothing that God begins can fail. It may not appear to succeed in human terms or as seen by shortsighted and frail fleshly beings made of clay, but His ways are definitely not our ways and His Word never returns to Him void.
Be a Doer (James 1:22): A life directed by the Lord is the only truly peaceful life. As women who long to give our best and be used of the Lord, our only hope is in Him and our only mode of survival is remaining connected to Him. We should not look at other people’s failures or successes as a way to measure our own. Instead, we should look to Jesus, learn from Jesus, remain in Jesus, trust in Jesus, talk to Jesus, in order to get where He has called us to be. We may not see the fruits of our actions in this realm, but He who never forgets has them all in mind and will never forget our labour of love. Nothing He starts can fail; nothing He opens can be shut; nothing He shuts can be opened (Revelation 3:7) and everything is naked and bare before Him (Hebrews 4:13). He is the Lord in whom we should take delight (Psalm 1:1, Psalm 37:4) and without whom we are nothing (John 1:3).
Hide It In Your Heart (Psalm 119:11): And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand (Genesis 39:2-3).
Pray It Personally: Father in heaven, Your Word in Psalm 92 says that righteous people prosper like the cedars of Lebanon, and flourish in Your courts. Forgive me for hewing for myself broken cisterns that cannot hold water when I have You as my Eternal Source. Help me to truly understand the importance of staying connected to You in all things. Thank You for making me righteous by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Let me long to please You, and refrain from competing with my brothers and sisters or worse, with the ungodly. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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