There is a difference between a tree that is planted in a well watered garden and the tree that is planted in a dry and salty land. The believer is called the tree of righteousness. “To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3
As trees of righteousness we have the potential to flourish and grow to be mighty oaks but the condition is that we must be planted by God in His house. It is impossible for a tree that is not planted or planted in the wrong soil to flourish. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are 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. Psalm 92:12-15
Therefore, it is important for the believer who desires to flourish to discover where God has appointed for him or her. Every tree has its own right environment. Oaks don't thrive in swamps and palm trees don’t thrive in cold climates. A large oak could be stunted in growth like a shrub and may even die if planted in a salty land where there is no water. Your location matters. If you locate your God-appointed place and you trust Him enough to belong there you will thrive.
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:5-6-8
In addition to being planted by God in the right place, the believer must constantly let his roots go deep down into the ground by absorbing the water of the Spirit of God from the word of God. The Spirit of God is the water that nourishes the tree of righteousness. We draw the water of the Spirit by feeding on the word of God (which is Spirit and life -John 6:63) and by seeking fellowship with God in prayer regularly. There is no better place to do this than the sanctuary where the presence and glory of the Lord dwells. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house And the place where Your glory dwells. Psalm 63:1-2; 26:8
The result of being planted in the house of the Lord is that we flourish and are protected from the disasters that happen to others outside the household of God since they have no roots “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27
If you are born of God, you are a tree of righteousness. If you desire to flourish like the palm tree and be bearing fruits (or making impact) even in old age, you must be planted in the House of the Lord. We must learn to seek the presence of God in prayer without fainting. We must refuse to be in and out or up and down in walk with God. May you flourish and inherit the land where God has planted you, in Jesus name. Amen
Peter Okaka | Pastor, FreshWater House | www.freshwaterhouse.org
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