Press the arrow to listen to “Every Season” by Nichole Nordeman.

Scripture
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:3

Observation

There is an old protest song that says,

We shall not be, we shall not be moved
Just like a tree planted by the water,
We shall not be moved.

When I hear its defiant melody, I think of Suffragettes marching through city streets and going on hunger strikes until women were granted the right to vote. The verse in the Bible that the song is lifted from does talk about a tree that is firmly rooted. But the reason it is stable is not because of stubbornness but because of fruitfulness. The tree has a good thing going so it is not going to let go.

Let me pick apart Psalm 1:3 by digging into the Hebrew roots of the verse.

The tree is not just planted, it is transplanted into soil where it can thrive.

It is not planted by a river but rather an irrigation canal that will never run dry.

It bears fruit not only in due time, but even in every season because conditions are so good.

It never wilts.

It prospers in everything.

Because the fruitfulness is so good, the tree will not let go.

Application
Our stability in life is not like steel set in the concrete foundation; instead, our secure tenure in life is more like healthy roots in good soil. So long as we keep ourselves in the state that brings fruitfulness, we will not be moved nor will we ever want to go.

Human stubbornness may keep us put, but the vitality of God at work in us may long be gone. Instead, we must daily cultivate ourselves to keep fresh and useful. Stability is a growing thing. In 1876, Col. Custer took a photographic survey of the Black Hills of South Dakota, marking every picture with exact coordinates. One hundred years later, surveyors retraced his steps and took new photographs. To their amazement, the same dead trees that poked through the forest like stag horns were still standing a century later. A tree can stubbornly hold on, yet bear no fruit. How much better to be a healthy tree onto a good thing who will not let go, paying rent for the footprint of life through usefulness and fruitfulness.

Prayer
Father, let me not be moved because I am onto a good thing and you are doing a great work through me. Amen.