No matter what it is that we struggle with if we keep our eyes on Jesus we can still Praise God and bear fruit.
Psalm 92, NKJV
12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
David and Saul
And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and the hand of Saul.
And he said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, Thou dost save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; And I am saved from my enemies.
For the waves of death encompassed me; The torrents of destruction overwhelmed me; The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple, He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears.” 2 Samuel 22:1-7
The Righteous Shall Flourish
Psalm 92, verses 12 – 15 “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright: He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”
The reference in verse 12 is to the flourishing of the date palm. One of the more stately trees of the Palestinian plain. When it has attained full size it bears between 150 to 250 Kg of fruit. With its perennial green vegetation constantly renewing itself from the root, this is a picture of life.
Mentioned side by side with the palm is the cedar, the prince of the trees of the mountain. Near Mount Lebanon in the north of Israel. Known for its graceful, lofty growth and intense vegetative strength and its perfume.
Portrait of Spiritual Strength and Fruitfulness
These trees portray the spiritual strength and fruitfulness of the godly person, fresh and flourishing spiritually no matter what age, eager to declare to all who will listen that the Lord is true and right in all his ways;
Faithful to his promise, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. So full pardon is granted, for every transgression, to all believers. And as the Holy God, He keeps every one of His pledges of blessing to all who serve Him.
With the Psalmist, every follower of the Savior, therefore, joyfully exults: “God is my Rock. He is my fortress in him will I trust”.
That is, He is a strong, never-failing, Deliverer in the time of trouble. A sure and steadfast Guide for every path. He would have us walk all our days on earth. He is an absolute, divine Guarantor of my eternal life with Him in heaven.
We often face troubles in life that make us less than confident that He is our “Rock”. The same was true for David! He faced rebellions, famines, wars, the business with Bathsheba and the dying baby, and all sorts of court intrigues, including a wife who rejected him and mocked him, a son who tried to usurp his throne, and a military commander who went rogue and killed anyone he thought of as an enemy. His day-to-day was no better than ours, but he sang the song and confessed the goodness of the Lord and called the Lord His safety and protection and Savior!
Troubles Overwhelming
I may face pain and troubles that may seem overwhelming. Struggle with the darkness that surrounds me. I may feel as though I can go on no longer.
In the midst of this, I can look at Jesus on the cross. His sorrow bought us, joy, troubles bought us comfort, pains bought us forgiveness, death bought us life and resurrection is the guarantee of our own!
In the course of life here and now, we can count on God. Call upon the LORD. He is worthy to be praised;
“I am saved from my enemies”, said David.
God still answers prayers. His Word still brings the Holy Spirit and His power, “The Comforter”. Our Fortress, Deliverer, Refuge, Shield, the horn of our Salvation, Stronghold, Savior and, of course, our God.
No matter what it is that we struggle with if we keep our eyes on Jesus we can still Praise God and bear fruit.
Fairdinkum
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