Prosper, be productive, be consistent, live above hard circumstances, and grow.  Does this sound like your goal list for 2023?  Want to know where I found this lofty list?  It all started this week when I came across some photos I took three years of the little fir trees we see from our windows every day.  I was shocked at the height of ‘our’ trees now compared to then.  They have grown so much!  This made me think of trees in the Bible.  So I did a simple study of Bible trees which lead me to this lofty list. (Pun intended.) It turns out that we can actually be like growing, fruitful trees.

“they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.”  Psalm 1:2-3

I desire to produce good things that benefit others no matter what season of life I’m in – ‘bearing fruit each season’. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to wither when circumstances aren’t favorable- ‘their leaves never wither’.
And I sure do want to prosper (be successful, strong, flourishing) in all I do!  Wow!
We all want these things, but how do we grow into that kind of person? The psalmist correlates what we think about with our outcomes.  If we find happiness, joy, and pleasure in God’s Word- ‘delight in the law of the Lord’, then we’ll think about it, ponder, reflect, and study it every chance we get- ‘meditating on it day and night’.  It becomes our default thinking.  We plant our thoughts in the water of God’s life-giving Word-  ‘planted along the riverbank’.  Since his river never runs dry, it sustains us through the seasons of life.  When our happiness is thinking about God and his words, he provides what we need and enables us to provide for others even in hard circumstances.  Rooting our thoughts in God’s Word makes us drought-resistant when life brings us dry times.  By directing our thoughts to God, he enables us to prosper in all areas of our lives.

“. . . blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.”  Jeremiah 17:7-8

These verses in Jeremiah are very similar to the verses in Psalms.  Trees planted along a riverbank continue to flourish even under adverse circumstances.  This passage was written not by David, the shepherd/king, but by Jeremiah the prophet who was tasked with warning of coming judgment.  What a comfort that there is a safe place in spite of impending doom!  The promises are very similar- we can be what we should be in spite of the heat of hard times and the drought of discomfort.  In spite of difficult experiences, these trees can still stay green and never stop making fruit for others.  In these verses, we get further explanation of what makes the trees/us climate-proof.  Their confidence isn’t in themselves.  Their hope isn’t for better times.  Their hope and confidence is the Lord, himself.  Their roots run deep into the water of God’s Word.  Knowing and trusting God carries them through the worst of times.  They don’t just barely survive, but they bravely thrive!  They stay green and lively.  They never stop producing fruit that blesses others.

Did you know tree roots find moving water (rivers, streams) by “listening’?  Studies show that tree roots can feel the vibrations of running water and grow toward it.*  We, too, can connect to the Source of what we need by listening to God’s Word and moving toward it.

I made a list of descriptive words that the Scriptures use to describe people who are planted in God.  This is great news for us! God can make us:
Prosper
Flourish
Produce fruit
Grow strong
Not bothered
Not worried
Not withered
Vital
Green
Well watered
Deep-rooted
Vigorous

A time is coming when God will remake the heavens and the earth.  On that new earth, he will live with those who trusted him in their lifetimes.  It will be heaven on earth!  In the great city he makes, there will be a river flowing from his presence that everyone will enjoy.  

“Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”  Ezekiel 47:12

“Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.  And they will see his face. . . “  Revelation 22:1-4

We can count on enjoying that fruit and receiving healing from all our hurts.  I guess you could say that we’ll be transplanted to the place God is making for us where we’ll be with him.

In the meantime, let’s delight in and meditate on God’s Word that waters our souls while we trust, putting our confidence, and hope in Jesus who enables us to grow strong.

*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28382479/. Tuned in: plant roots use sound to locate water