You Are Like A Tree Planted By the Water!

"Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted.” (Matthew 13:8).


There are many kinds of seeds we can sow, but do you know what produces the best crop? The seed of God's Word planted on the soil of our hearts. The more of the Word you take into your heart, the more abundant harvest it will produce. Our job, as believers, is to make sure we are good ground.

The scripture tells us there are things that can choke the seed of the Word out of our hearts. The cares of this world, greed and selfishness act as thorns that stop the seed from growing. It also tells us that in order for the seed to take root, we need to stand strong during the difficult times when persecution and challenges come.

Follow the encouragement found in Psalms chapter 1, to let our spiritual roots go down deep into God’s Word and prayer to bring fresh spiritual life. I want to expand on that image to think about what kind of trees we might exemplify, and I want to think about the palm.

Studies prove that during a hurricane, a palm tree will simply stretch and not break from the strong winds. It’s bent and pushed over, and all the while, its root system is actually being strengthened and given new opportunities for growth. That is the same way we were built to be. In Psalm 92:12 we read, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.” That means God knew there would be difficult times in our lives, that things would come against us, trying to steal our joy, peace and victory. He’s not surprised by our difficulties, but rather knew ahead of time and equipped us with everything we need in Him! Because we have strong roots, we are going bounce right back. The storms in life will come. The winds will blow. But no weapon formed against us will prosper!

In these times of social upheaval these are important lessons for us to have firmly planted within us. The markets should bounce back, as do we. A bounce-back person sees adversity and every setback not as permanent, but temporary. It’s not going to last forever. You can be encouraged by every difficulty that comes your way by knowing that with God you can come out better than you were before. Why is that? Because it is in our DNA. God created us and intends us to walk in the same power which raised Christ from the dead; that same overcoming power and attitude that even the grave can’t keep down.