Ever Green

The righteous flourish like the palm tree

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

They are planted in the house of the Lord;

they flourish in the courts of our God.

They still bear fruit in old age;

they are ever green and full of sap.

Psalm 92:12-14

"Tell me this," said Peter: "why do people talk about going down hill when they begin to get old? It seems to me that first they begin to go up hill." —Curdle and the Princess, George Macdonald

Exactly. The last mile is straight up. 

Yet, aging can be perfectly fine, despite arthritis, tendinitis, presbyopia, neuropathy and the other concomitants of old age—if we’re "planted in the house of the Lord."

The "house of the Lord" is not the churchyard; some Sundays our bodies just can't answer the call. No, the house of the Lord is that secret place in our heart of hearts where we meet with God in quiet worship, where we listen to Him speak to us through His Word and talk things over with Him. That's where we come to know Him and call Him "Old Friend."

I love the picture the poet draws of those that are growing old with God. Imagine the towering majesty and beauty of a palm tree, the massive strength of a giant sequoia. 

Beauty and strength—the attributes of those that are planted in the house of the Lord, rooted in God and His love, bearing the fruit of His Spirit—love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, et. al.

Other trees, when they get old, stop bearing, but not God’s trees. They "flourish." They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever green and full of sap!

David Roper

10.10.17