The Stream You’re Planted by
Right outside my window stands two tall, sturdy trees. On windy days their outer limbs will sway ever so slightly, but their trunks are immovable. They’re strong and rooted, seemingly just protruding out of the ground – there’s no telling how deep they go.
If you’ve been around Life Roots much, you’ll know my fascination with trees. They’ve always struck a chord of awe in my heart when I take an extra moment or two to simply observe.
I began a practice recently to help with my prayer life. The goal is, each morning, to read a Psalm. At this point, my plan is to start at Psalm one and work my way through 150 – just one a day.
It should be no surprise to me that right at the beginning of this journey, Psalm 1 talks about the righteous and the unrighteous. Of the righteous, the author says, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalms 1:3).
This begs the question, where do you find yourself planted today? To bring some practicality, when you’re needing help or guidance, where do you go? I have to admit, other people tend to be the first place I look. I sit down and have conversations and go over scenarios and bring others into whatever situation I find myself in. Other times I just rely on my own logic.
Neither of these are necessarily wrong. But the wisdom of others will surely fail at times. And I don’t have the capacity to think through the complexities of all decisions on my own and arrive at consistent trustworthy conclusions. What I need is to retreat away with the Lord.
Now, this doesn’t need to be weird. All I mean by that is to bring Him into your space. Whether it’s a concern you have, a decision you need to make, or a dream you’re wanting to pursue – prayerfully talk to Him about it.
Just a verse earlier in Psalm 1 we see what it is a righteous person is like and why they are described like a tree planted by streams of water, “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Psalms 1:2).
The law represents the do’s and don’ts of God. It’s His intended way for us. It’s imperative for us to know why we follow God’s instruction. It is not out of guilt or obligation, rather it’s because of a love for who God is and a desire to live the way He created us for.
See, the law is far more than a list of do’s and don’ts. Think of it this way, who’s someone in your life that you hold in high esteem? For example’s sake, let’s say you wanted to be a professional baseball player and you were able to sit down with your favorite player. You’ll likely ask them how they did it, what their routine is, what recommendations do they have for you. Then you’d go home, and if that truly was your dream, you’d implement those practices to the best of your ability.
The author of the first Psalm is practicing his life after God. Because God is who he wants to be like. It’s the ways of God that are the stream by which the author’s “tree” is planted. So, again I ask you, what streams are flowing by your tree? Is it the ways of the world, your friends, the famous? There is only one stream that leads to true life and that’s the river of the ways of God. Let’s be rooted there together, and it all starts by knowing Him through His word and through prayer.
