“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalm 92:12-15
Devotional Thought For The Day
We remember that “the righteous” are those who believe God, those who place trust and confidence in the Lamb of God, the Savior Jesus Christ, Whose blood cleanses us from all sin. They are accounted to be righteous by God Himself, by His own Word, freely by His grace and mercy in Christ Jesus – and God does not lie. The righteous do not plant themselves in the house of the LORD; God does the planting, by His grace and love. The righteous “flourish” and “bear fruit” even in old age because of the power of Christ living in them, the power of God’s gracious love at work in their hearts and minds. They delight to declare that “the LORD is upright,” to acknowledge His wondrous love, His truthfulness, and to praise Him! They confess that even their “righteousnesses” are as filthy rags [Is. 64:6], but that there is no unrighteousness in God. They do not believe that they have fellowship with God because of their own “goodness” but rather because of His gracious mercy and forgiveness. By this alone, His cleansing of our sin and guilt, can fallen and sinful human beings have fellowship with Him. So in all things God is our Rock and our fortress.
We often feel just the opposite, that we are weak and troubled, hardly healthy and stalwart in the faith. As Christians grow older we become much more aware of our sin and culpability, and our sinful nature and the devil heap scorn and scourging upon us. So we must take care to keep our hearts and minds on Christ, His promised closeness to us, His grace and mercy, and His will for our good and blessedness, including His promise that we have everlasting life through faith. And it is important that we continue to hold faith in His Word – that it is not what we feel that dictates and determines reality but rather what is asserted in His Word. Regardless of what we or others think of us, children of God continue to flourish and bear fruit in “the courts of our God,” for God has declared it to be so and God is producing this good within us. So from infancy to death “the righteous shall live by his faith.” [Hab. 2:4]
It may be true that we no longer have the “sap” and “greenness” to excel in physical activities. It may also be true that we no longer have the same mental acuity that we possessed in younger years. But surely the fruit of the Spirit is growing stronger within us – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” [Gal. 5:22.23] Our apparent and felt weaknesses produce within us a humble and contrite spirit which latches on to the promises of God’s mercy and love, and it is by faith in His love that the Spirit is able to produce His fruit within us. For those with “eyes to see” this is a marvelous transformation, the great blessedness of knowing God, and He surely is our Rock forever.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, thanks and praise be to You that in the dreary desert of this world, filled with sin and unbelief, You are able to create life and cause it to flourish. Help us to clearly see our sin and guilt but to believe firmly in the redemption that You procured for us in Your suffering and death on the cross. May we ever exult in Your great love so that You might find sap, greenness, and fruit in us to the very end of our lives. Amen.