Father, May I? – The Tale of a Tree – May 14

Father, May I Grow?
May 14, 2021

The Tale of a Tree

Psalm 1:1-3, ‘Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.’ (NKJV)

We find the beginning of Psalms underway immediately with a dire warning as the author instructs in what to do and not to do to be considered blessed. There is a progression of sin that is referenced as we see someone not blessed who walks, then stands, and lastly sits. This is interesting to me because that really is a true exhibit of how sin proceeds. We are tempted and we walk in the direction of the seduction, and upon arrival, we stand and purview our surroundings, and upon attaining comfort, we then lower ourselves onto a seat and sit down. One of the favorite things my dad has shared with me often over the years that he learned, which now it’s emblazoned in my memory, is that ‘sin will take you to a place you never intended to go; it will cause you to stay longer than you ever intended to stay; and, it will cost you far more than you ever intended to pay’. See, it is about intentionality.

But Psalm 1 directs us to avoid those pitfalls, and in so doing, find ourselves a new identity: blessed. It’s important then that we understand what blessed means. Webster says that ‘blessed’ means to be divinely or supremely favored, fortunate; holy, righteous. The psalmist conveys to us that highly favored is he (or she) who delights in the Lord and fills himself with the Lord and is deeply rooted in things of the Lord, and having chosen those ways, instead of walking, standing and sitting amongst sinners dining on ungodly choices, the blessed person prospers.

While we are traveling on this road, let’s take a look then at what it means to prosper. We find that ‘prosper’ means to thrive or flourish. So we find our blessed individual being compared to a tree. When I think of a tree, I automatically in my head picture a great old oak tree, a towering pine tree, a giant redwood. Majestic and tree go together like peanut butter and jelly or popcorn and peanuts, so I imagine blessed in the same vein as prosperous and a magnificent sequoia with its branches reaching skyward, full and thriving and teaming with life, are images that spring to mind. Our tree is planted near a river where the roots have grown deep, and its prosperity results in abundant fruit and flourishing leaves. I want to be that guy, that blessed guy, that is not withering but instead is blossoming.

The psalmist completes this psalm by affirming, ‘For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (v.6) How does the Lord know, you ask, the way of the righteous? Because the blessed man, who, remember, is supremely favored and righteous, has delighted in the Lord and has meditated on His Word by day and by night. Meditation expresses a level of intimacy that can only be accomplished amongst those who know one another well and have made it a mission to know each other and their ways.

I want to know the Father’s opinion about everything!
Won’t you JOURNEY with me this month as we ask our Father, ‘MAY I?’’