Trees planted by streams of water

Trees planted by streams of water

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Today’s reflection begs answers to the following questions:

What, or who are you depending on, to keep you going?

What, or who, is inspiring you or motivating you?

What changes do you plan to make in your life?

Psalm 1:1-3 says the following …

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” (ESV)

 

and Jeremiah 17: 5-10 says….

“Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

 

The image for today is that of the “tree planted by streams of water”.

Please forgive me if I say anything that may not be fully accurate, but my intention is to look more at the deeper meaning of God’s intent, rather than the accuracy of horticultural facts.

From my research, it would seem that trees are not necessarily prepared to ward off the effects of all weather conditions and especially that of drought. Without a constant supply of water, they could be forced to shed their leaves, especially during hot, dry weather. This in turn will stunt their growth. Each of their leaves needs a constant supply of water for photosynthesis to happen, to regulate their cellular chemistry, and to transport mineral nutrients to the rest of the tree.

Nutrients are drawn from the soil and used by the tree. Water helps a plant to stand upright and to transport these nutrients to the rest of the tree.

Trees thrive near bodies of water where there is a constant supply of moisture. Water makes them effective in erosion control for riverbanks. They help filter pollutants out of water flowing across the landscape towards waterways and help to restore and/or stabilise the soil. One of their most important functions is to prevent sediment pollution in the stream. Sediment and silt in stream water can clog the gills of fish, bury their eggs, cover their food sources on the stream bottom, and cloud the water, thus shading out the sun needed for aquatic life. Trees on the shoreline help to prevent soil erosion and flood damage. They form part of the so-called circle of life, by providing habitat that supports microbes, stream insects, and other food sources for fish and other aquatic life. The shading effect of trees also helps keep water temperatures cool, which is necessary for aquatic life to reproduce and thrive. Fallen trees and branches in streams can also provide pools and hiding areas for juvenile fish and other aquatic life.

One final and fascinating feature of trees naturally planted by streams of water is that when the seed falls, it germinates and first sends roots deep down into the ground before it sends shoots upwards, which will grow into the tree above the surface of the ground. These roots serve to anchor the tree firmly in the ground before it even shows itself as a shoot and thus, it can withstand the many weather conditions and elements of nature which it will encounter throughout its lifetime along any given river bank.

So, the word of God tells us…. “blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates in His law day and night. That person will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever that person does, he or she will prosper ….. and also, blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. That person will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

If we consider what I have shared about trees that grow along the streams of water, I would like to suggest a number of things we need to do to establish God’s blessing upon our lives.

1. We need to give our seed time to germinate and send roots down into the soil and to develop an anchor that is so strong that no weather conditions can shake that anchor.
   1. Our roots are to be established in the Word of God. It is only when we get to know the Word of God, both its content and its meaning and implications, that our faith will grow to be unshakable, regardless of what we may face, encounter or experience as we walk through this journey called life.
   2. We establish our roots by delighting in the Law of the Lord – making it our priority above all else.
   3. When we do this, we give ourselves food for thought – we begin to meditate on what we have read – His word will begin to pervade our thoughts – day and night and we will mull over our reactions and responses to what we learn from this process – about ourselves, as well as about life as it should be lived.
   4. Once we start experiencing the outcomes of the Word of God in our lives, our confidence in Him grows and we begin to trust Him more and more and in so doing, we become rooted in the Word and we grow from the spiritual nourishment it provides.

 

2. Once the anchor is firmly established, we will not fear when heat comes and our leaves will always be green and will not wither.
   1. If we are firmly established in the Word of God, then fear will not be a part of our paradigm. We will not fear that over which we have no control – like circumstances, illness, death, hurdles, challenges, exhortations, mistakes, disappointments, etc.
   2. Our confidence in God will be such that we will remain firmly planted in our faith in what He says in His word. We will live by that confidence – and when things become hot and difficult, we will draw our nourishment from what we know about His Word and His faithfulness to us and we will not wither or shed our leaves and become stunted. We will continue in our walk and purpose and bear green leaves.

 

3. Once our foliage is firmly established then, when the season is right, we will bear fruit. We will never fail to bear fruit.
   1. We need to realise that fruit is not instantaneous. The tree must reach a certain stage of maturity before it will bear fruit. We also need to remember that fruit is seasonal….it is not permanently present on any tree. The natural cycle dictates a time of rest for the tree to replenish its nourishment before it once again bears fruit.
   2. Fruit bearing is also a process – fruit does not appear ripe immediately. It starts as a blossom of some sort, then it buds and over a period it develops until it is fully ripe and ready to be used in whatever way it is intended by the creator.
   3. Just so, we will be developed to certain places of maturity before we will begin to bear fruit within His Kingdom and we will also not necessarily bear great, big, ripe, juicy apples immediately. Our fruit may not even appear attractive or even noticeable while it is developing.
   4. Also, we will be given times of rest by God – not dictated by us, but it will be a natural evolution or cycle within whatever we do in our service for Him. We do not decide that it is a time of rest now, it simply just happens, but we will always again, be brought to a place of bearing fruit when the season calls for it.

 

4. Lastly, we are told that if we are delighting in the Law of God, trusting Him and having confidence in Him, then in whatever we do, we will prosper.
   1. In other words – our fruit will be abundant.
   2. We will not only bear fruit, but our fruit will affect the entire environment in which we find ourselves. Our lives will serve as filters for spiritual pollution in our communities, we will serve as providers of conditions for the spiritual birth and growth of others. We will keep the waters fresh and unmuddied – so that conditions will allow for their healthy nourishment and development. In other words – we will be part of the prosperity of the “circle of life” within the community and fellowship of God’s kingdom.
   3. How awesome is that???

I encourage you then, to make only one change as you face today and forever – to begin to delight in the Law of God, to meditate on His Law, day and night, to trust in the Lord and place your confidence in Him alone. If we can do that then as Jeremiah says – “we will have no worries in a year of drought and we w ill never fail to bear fruit.”