Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
Verse 2to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
Verse 3to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
Verse 4For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
Verse 12The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Verse 13They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.
Verse 14In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
Verse 15showing that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Devotion
Today the psalmist gives us more trees!
When my wife and I retired, to remain physically active, we began the practice of Nordic Walking, one side effect of which has been time spent on trails through local parks, weaving through all sorts of trees. Now I reside in Minnesota, where trees flourish through spring and summer, but shed their leaves with autumn—and winter means forests of seemingly dead branches.
Likewise, the psalmist’s promise of the fruitful life of the righteous may seem at odds with lives that are broken, as gray and sad as those trees in the winter. But I like to think that this psalm is pointing us to the long game, reminding us that, despite the setbacks of this life, in the courts of God the righteous will flourish. As we wait for that, we have moments, like the delights of spring and summer, when we experience God’s grace, grace that enables us to encourage each other through the winter days.
Prayer
God of light and life, lead us to see in the beauty of your creation how your grace can make us flourish. Amen.
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