A tree planted by a stream. You can see the image in your mind, can’t you? It is broad and leafy. The branches spread out and give room for birds and squirrels. The roots go down deep, drawing nourishment and providing stability. It thrives in the heat. It produces fruit at the right season. It is growing and vibrant. Healthy. It is fully alive.
What makes us, you and me, like that tree? As the Psalmist writes, it is the person who does not “walk in the way of the wicked” or “stand in the way sinners take.” It is the person who lives (delights!) in God’s word and “meditates on it day and night.” By our commitment to know Scripture, to embrace the truth it teaches, and to live it faithfully every day of our lives, we become like that strong, growing, vigorous tree.
In Jeremiah 17 we see a similar illustration of a person who “trusts in the Lord.” S/he, too, is like a tree planted by a stream (v. 7). Living in an arid climate, the hearers of these two illustrations would have immediately understood the vigor of such trees. They would have recognized their own lives compared to those trees, knowing that their commitment to trust in God and their promise to learn God’s Word were key elements in making them just like those beautiful trees.
When I exercise each morning, my walk takes me through a wooded area where, beside a small stream, I see trees—growing, vibrant, and alive. I frequently pause and offer a silent prayer, asking God to make my life like those trees I see every day. I want my life to draw nourishment by sending down deep roots. I want my life to grow and be fully alive, to produce effective fruit that advances God’s Kingdom and brings Him glory. So I quietly, almost daily, offer my life to God with a commitment to trust and to grow in God’s word. Perhaps you might want to consider doing that, as well?