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.

Scripture
Let all that I am wait quietly before the Lord, for you my hope is in him. Psalm 62:5

Observation
When God deconstructs life I can feel fragile and the little people can seem bigger than they really are. But centering on the Lord buttresses and gives perspective. He will build me up.

Application
I need to drag all the drumming fingers of my impatience into the presence of God, for when all of me is waiting, he will deliver.

Prayer
Father, I hear you say to me in quiet moments that you have more for me than I can imagine. Sneak up on me and surprise me while I’m waiting. Amen.

Press the arrow to listen to Christy Nockels sing “Holy Roar” while you read today’s entry.

Scripture
For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5

Observation
Discouragement should encourage us, because when suffering comes so too God’s comfort overflows. Setbacks should alert us to the coming of God’s uplifting comfort. Just as water seeks the lowest level, so the encouragement of the Lord naturally finds the low place where we may find ourselves. When we are disappointed we should be on the prowl for the hidden sources of God’s comfort.

Look for God’s comfort, not his coddling. The Father’s heart is always moved by our condition but like a wise parent he does not spring to action at our first cry. My son has been kept awake for the last few nights with his crying one year old son. He had been away for a few days and sleep patterns were disturbed. The little boy began crying multiple times in the night. So I gave my son the advice that worked for us decades ago, “When the baby cries, first call out to him and tell him you will soon be there. Let a minute or two lapse and then tend to him. Then progressively over the next few nights take longer and longer to get out of bed for him. Eventually, just call out to him without leaving your room, assuring him that he will be okay. This will teach him how to put himself to sleep.”

Doesn’t the Lord do something similar with us? The Father cares but he doesn’t coddle, he comforts us. In extreme times we want God to front up when and where we would like him to appear. The Lord does come, comfort does overflow, however sometimes it happens in ways we don’t expect. We must look for the comforting presence of Christ in our hardships.

I was watching an Australian survival show, where an Aboriginal bushman was showing a Caucasian adventurer where to find water in the thirsty Outback. While trekking through the scorched earth, the Aboriginal tracker disappeared from camera view and scampered down a rocky cliff. He pulled away a rock to reveal a hidden collection point for rainwater. He scrapped back moist leaves and damp earth. Patiently he waited as the hole in the ground filled with water. The Aborigine knew from experience where the secret water supply was and he knew where to find it.

Application
We should mark our life roadmaps with the places where God is most likely to show up with encouragement. In discouraging times we should camp at those places. Finding this comfort requires the effort of going to church, going to a home group, phoning someone who needs more than I do, doing my devotions, and ending the day with a stocktake of the smallest of encouragements that have come from the Lord. The comfort is all around us, and we are encouraged when we acknowledge it.

All around us is the comfort of the Lord. It may be an unexpected phone call. Perhaps an email comes. Maybe there is an opportunity to be helpful. Comfort can show up in our daily devotional reading. It may arrive in the first flower of spring or the last leaf of autumn. There are many ways that the Lord brings reassurance to us. There is only one catch: we must search for the comfort that surrounds us. The Father sometimes comforts us from a distance. It takes maturity to receive comfort like this. We must still our fretful cries and look for the comfort that abounds around us.

Prayer
Father, today I need not ask you to comfort but I do ask that you’d open my eyes to your comfort. It abounds, so help me to abound with it. Amen.

Press the arrow to listen to this worship song while reading this devotion.

Matthew West “You Are Everything” 

Scripture
Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now. For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you. Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God. Joshua 23:8-11

Observation
Soldiers should love their General. It is not enough just to obey him. Warriors must love their commanding officer so that their heart is fully engaged.

The General, of course, is the Lord, the recruits naturally are us and the war is life around us as we now find it. For men, it’s great to have Joshua in the Bible. Let the girls have Ruth; Joshua is a boys book of heroes and blood baths. In this book men learn how to follow God.

But the description of trekking after Jesus doesn’t sound very masculine. We are told to cling to God. That sounds weak and dependent until we understand the strength of the Lord. Our heavenly Father is so strong and caring that it is safe for a man to be weak in his presence. There is no where else that it is safe for men to be weak except in the presence of God. He will never abuse our vulnerability instead he will always use it.

Application
God is the one who can drive out nations, send a legion running and help us to face another day. All of that strength can be ours if we will do but one thing: love him violently. The word “cling” also means to run in pursuit of the Lord and never letting go. If we are allowed as men to do any strong thing it is to lay down every ambition we have and to run hard after God. In desperation is true power.

Prayer
Father, today I cling to you because all of this comes from you and not from me. Amen.