October 27, 2021: Take Root and Grow

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Ps. 92:12, KJV).

As David poetically writes this Psalm dedicated to the Sabbath day, he uses verse 12 to instruct us on how to grow. He states that the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. This is no ordinary palm tree; it is a date palm, known in Hebrew as “tamar.” The date palm is tall and slender and stretches upward of 75 feet. This incredible tree grows amid the drought of the desert. It vigorously plunges its roots into the earth until it reaches the hidden waters beneath the surface. As a result, it is able to produce large clusters of fruit, about 100 to 200 pounds each year.

David also references the cedars of Lebanon. These noble trees shoot upward to heights of 120 feet and can be found in almost every climate region. The roots of these towering trees not only plunge deep, but they also spread wide, providing extraordinary stability that can endure even the most treacherous storms.

David is drawing from the book of nature to tell us to thrust our roots deep into the Word of God amid the spiritual drought that surrounds us to find the living waters that will enable us to grow tall and allow us to flourish and bear the fruit of the Spirit.

Let us start and end each day giving thanks to the Lord and singing praises to His name. Let us flourish like the date palm and grow like the cedars of Lebanon by sinking our roots deep and wide into the Word of God.

God, in all that we do, let us declare that the Lord is upright. Amen.

Matthew Haire is the pastor of the Mountaintop church in Maryland and the Kingwood and Morgantown churches in West Virginia.