Flourish
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.” Psalm 92:12-15
When I was dating my husband, he shared with me how much he loved palm trees and because of that, I have never looked at a palm tree the same. The palm tree reminds me of the love I have for my husband.
I am also drawn to how the Bible uses the palm tree to describe the life of the righteous. The writer compares the palm tree to the strength of a cedar tree of Lebanon.
“Palm trees are known for their long life span. To flourish like a palm tree means to stand tall and to live long. The Cedars of Lebanon grew 120 feet in height and up to 30 feet in circumference; thus, they were solid, strong, productive, and immovable. The writer saw believers as upright, strong, productive, and unmoved by the winds of circumstance and aging. Those who place their faith firmly in God can have this strength and vitality” (Bible Commentary).
In my walk with Jesus, God has taught me that my strength comes from Him and Him alone. This truth has carried me when “flourishing” was the opposite of how I felt. Flourishing means vigorous and healthy growth. God loves when we rely on Him alone for our emotional, physical, and spiritual strength. And God loves when we rely on Him for our steady growth in Christ.
This Psalm serves as a reminder for the eternal security God reserves for those who faithfully love and trust Him. Psalm 92:1-15, describes the wicked and evil doers that appear to flourish temporarily to the righteous who eternally flourish in God’s presence. The writer compares the wicked with the fragility of grass and the righteous as the palm tree in the courts of God.
God desires for us to trust Him and His purposes even when we don’t feel like we are flourishing and when we don’t understand our current circumstances.
When we are tempted to despair as we see the wicked flourish, may God give us an eternal prospective. May we remember the end for the wicked and the end for the righteous as the psalmist proclaimed.
The Good News is this: The righteous are promised to be displayed flourishing in the courts of God and will never be without testimonies of the ways that they have seen God’s character to be true!
When we trust in God and abide in Him, we will find that there is more to life than what we see. When we hold fast to Him, we will see our life in light of eternity.
“When we see a noble palm standing erect, sending all its strength upward in one bold column, and growing amid the dearth and drought of the desert, we have a fine picture of the godly man, who in his uprightness aims alone at the glory of God; and, independent of outward circumstances, is made by divine grace to live and thrive where all things else perish” (Spurgeon).