“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.”

Psalm 1:3, ESV

A verse like the above can seem so inaccessible in a year like 2020. Like one friend said after last week’s post, “How do you cultivate delight when the fireworks are canceled?” And yet, none would doubt that being planted by streams of water is a picture of the kind of refreshment and strength we all need, as well as the conditions needed for growth. It’s a similar picture to the one we find in Psalm 46:4 where “there is a river whose streams make glad [or delight] the city of God…”

Let’s review where we’ve been so far:

• Part 1: Step Away from Polluting Voices. (1:1)
• Part 2: Saturate Your Mind with Scripture. (1:2)
• And, now: Settle Into—Become Rooted In—a Place That Will Help You Grow. (1:3)

Despite our doubts to the contrary, it is God’s heart that we experience maximum fruitfulness. He’s the one who plants us by these streams and it’s His grace that initiates and sustains fruitfulness:

• “I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b)
• “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit- fruit that will last!” (John. 15:16a)
• “That yields its fruit IN ITS SEASON” (v.3) “Fruitfulness is a seasonal thing. We will all go through times where it seems that God has put us on a shelf and He’s not using us. We need to remember during these seasons that: “God will not always keep us waiting but he will keep us while we are waiting.” (Read that over a couple of times if you don’t quite get it! 🙂 )

One of the meanings of “head” and the related concept of “headship” in Scripture is source of goodness. In context here, we might think of God as the head or source for these “streams of water”:

“…Paul observes in 1 Corinthians 11:3: ‘Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.’ In other words, the shape of the Father-Son relationship (the headship) begins a gracious cascade, like a waterfall of love: as the Father is the lover and head of the Son, so the Son goes out to be the lover and the head of the church. ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you,” the Son says (Jn 15:9). And therein lies the very goodness of the gospel: as the Father is the lover and the Son the beloved, so Christ becomes the lover and the church the beloved. That means that Christ loves the church first and foremost: his love is not a response, given only when the church loves him; his love comes first, and we only love him because he first loved us (1 Jn 4:19)… Such is the spreading goodness that rolls out of the very being of God.”

Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2012), 28-29.

So we’ve talked about God’s part. What’s ours? How do we strategically position ourselves for maximum fruitfulness?

• Create or make space to be involved in the “congregation of the righteous” (Psalm 1:5). This has to do with becoming committed and involved with a community of believers—in our case a specific local church.
• Get involved in mentoring or a small group. This has to do with one-on-one “watch my back and I’ll watch yours” friendships and relationships where you can be known. 
• Determine to be an encouraging presence. Encouragement grows things. We’re told in 1 Thess. 5:19 to not “quench the Spirit.”  This literally means to not put out His fire. We can do this with our negativity and cynicism—actually throw a bucket of discouragement on the Holy Spirit’s fire.
• Find your “sweet spot” in ministry. Folks who like to play golf or baseball talk about hitting the ball in the “sweet spot,” that is, the place where they get maximum accuracy and distance.  Finding your “sweet spot” in ministry means discovering and using your unique mix of spiritual gifts (Rom. 12), natural abilities, experiences, passions, and personality for God. We are all different and it takes all of us to move His kingdom forward.

Now is surely a time for the Church to walk by faith and not by sight. In the midst of a constantly changing, hard-to-get-the-real-facts global pandemic, anger is so palpable, you can cut it with a knife. And, with a presidential election approaching, all sides are fighting intensely to get power—to win their fight. Yet, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight…” (John 18:36a). The implication of his words is that his servants won’t fight because his kingdom is spiritual and characterized by these fruits (Galatians 5:22), these attitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), and this tone (1 Peter 3:16). As followers of Jesus Christ, it is not and never will be our job to bring in a political utopia. And yet, by grace, we are stewards of exactly what our world desperately needs: streams of water connected to the One whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light (Matthew 11:29). Indeed, we need rest for our souls connected to the “goodness that rolls out of the very being of God.”

That’s why we must unite our energies as the “congregation of the righteous” firmly trusting in His power, not any Republican, Democratic, or third party candidate. Remember our reference to King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings from Part 1? Like Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, we need to band together to break the spell!

Our friends need our strength. Our spouses, children, and grandchildren need our strength. Our extended family needs our strength. Our co-workers and neighbors need our strength. Our pastors and churches too. Again, make no mistake: It is the LORD, not any political party, who gives strength to the weary and power to his saints.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31, ESV

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”

Zechariah 4:6, NIV

Next week, we’ll look at the last step Psalm one gives for getting involved in spiritual transformation: Stay Clear on What Happens to the Wicked. (4-6)