May 28, 2020
Withstanding High Winds of Resistance
Gwen Smith
Today’s Truth
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. (Psalm 92:12)
Friend to Friend
There’s an abundance of palm trees in Israel. I’m not sure why that surprised me as we traveled throughout the Holy Land, but it did. Not only was I blown away by the populous palm presence, I was blown away that palm trees don’t just produce coconuts! Did you know this? There’s actually a type of palm that produces dates too.
What? Yep. Date palms are all over Israel. Farm after farm of them. And here, my whole life I just gave palm trees coconut creds.
Silly, Gwen.
I learned a few other interesting insights about palms on the day we visited Magdala, an ancient city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, near the small, present day Israeli town of Migdal. Known as the hometown of Mary Magdalene, Magdala is filled with archeological ruins, including a first-century synagogue that biblical scholars are confident is a place where Jesus taught and visited.
As we stood near the archives of the Migdal Synagogue, our guide discussed some amazing characteristics of palm trees. She explained that palm trees have the ability to bend 180 degrees and then bounce back up to standing. They stand tall and live long. They are able to withstand high winds, are resilient in resistance and are able to bend low without breaking. This, she explained, is why the Bible talks of the righteous being like palms.
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” (Psalm 92:12-15)
Psalm 92 is an inspiring call to worship that causes my heart to want greater doses of righteousness in my life.
I paused to reflect on what it would look like for me to flourish like a palm tree. And I came up with a few ways this might play out.
It could look like a contrite heart bouncing back up to it’s standing in grace after being bent 180 degrees low in rebellion.
It could look like standing tall in the dignity and purity of Christ by choosing to say nothing instead of something when tempted to gossip.
It could look like soul-resilience. Like being able to withstand the high winds of heart-wounds or health-bending diagnoses in the strength of God, without breaking.
Sign me up!
I want to flourish like a palm tree and live tall with resilience and strength. I want God's love to be so deeply rooted in my heart that I thrive no matter what challenge I face.
I can because of the power of Christ is at work within me. You can too.
Let’s Pray
Most High and Holy Lord,
Thank You for greeting me with love and faithfulness every morning and night. Help me to bend, not break, in the winds of all I’ve got happening with my life, heart and home right now. Please give me a fresh strength and vitality today to walk in Your ways and thrive in Your grace.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What has you close to breaking right now? What would it look like for you to withstand high winds with resilience today? What are your biggest personal takeaways from this message? Let's pray for each other on the wall of my blog today.
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Originally published Thursday, 28 May 2020.
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