PALM TREES AND CEDARS OF LEBANON

Psalm 92:12-15

We have returned from a winter trip to the Southwest. One of the features of Southern California is the abundance of palm trees. They are majestic trees with a multitude of benefits. In many countries the palm tree provides food (coconuts or dates) and palm oil for cooking. Its leaves cover roofs of huts, and its materials are used for ropes and mats. Its genius is that it can bend before a hurricane and survive the worst of storms.

On our way home, we saw the mighty Redwoods, famous for their towering stature, with the tallest trees reaching 360 ft. Similarly, the Bible speaks of the Cedars of Lebanon which are tall coniferous trees with a broad expanse of branches that can grow up to 130 feet with trunk diameters of 6-8 feet. They can live for more than 1000 years. They not only provide habitat for different invertebrates but also offer nesting places for birds or bats. Their wood is used for construction, handicrafts, and furniture as well as providing resins and essential oils. Medicines come from their leaves.

In Psalm 92, The Message translate these thoughts this way:

My ears are filled with the sounds of promise:
   “Good people will prosper like palm trees,
Grow tall like Lebanon cedars;
    transplanted to God’s courtyard,
They’ll grow tall in the presence of God,
    lithe and green, virile still in old age.”

Would others describe us in this way? If so, like those mighty trees, we are seen as people who flourish (bend and survive) amidst the distortions and the ugliness around us. Our lives sustain others.

Both trees drop their seeds for new growth and so do God’s people send out seeds of hope. Even the righteous grow into full maturity. In their old age, they continue to bear fruit and show the grace and vitality of God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, I like the thought of being like a palm tree or a cedar of Lebanon. Help me to live in this way in the presence of God. Amen.