Tree Firmly Planted

Psalm 46:10

Be still and know that I am God.

            I am not very good at being still. I love to stay busy, to have several irons in the fire simultaneously. But, I am learning that God created me for His purposes, and sometimes those purposes are to be still and rest.  The best way to get to know His purposes is to know Him and spend time with Him.  It is so sweet to think that even more than we long to spend time with God, He longs to spend time with us. 

            For several years, I have been using most of my weekday lunchtime as part of my “Sabbath rest”.  One of the ways that God reveals Himself to me is through the order and beauty of His creation.  I have the luxury of working in an environment where there are well kept gardens full of flowers, trees, wildlife, and even an occasional eagle.  As I eat my lunch and sit quietly, I am replenished both physically and spiritually.

            There are several different ways that I spend this time:  sometimes I pour out my questions, frustrations, and thanksgivings to God through journaling or prayer.  Other times I read a devotional book.  But, my most meaningful experiences have been through just sitting and meditating on one or two verses of scripture.  

            One verse in particular has been my constant companion:

Psalm 1:3 “He is like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”  This is especially evident in my surroundings because there are many huge oak trees that are over 75 years old.  I have watched these trees survive through changing seasons, storms, and droughts.  These huge oak trees stand tall and strong.  They don’t blow over easily like the tall Georgia pine trees which  topple over when the wind blows.  The psalmist says that the trees will survive because they are planted by streams of water.  In John 4:10, Jesus calls Himself the Living Water.  I am grateful that I had these times of Sabbath rest during the past few years because I have had many good times, but also have had spiritual droughts, storms, and now the changing of seasons.  God has planted this verse deep in my soul so that I know as long as I am planted by the Living Water (Jesus); I won’t topple over when the winds of adversity and change blow through my life.