Kim Johnson
My mind has been drawn to Psalm 92 over and over in the past few months. I love the picture the Psalmist paints of the righteous person. Flourishing like a palm tree, being planted in the house of the Lord, bearing fruit in old age, staying fresh and green, proclaiming that God is my Rock and making His goodness known to those around me are all things I long for in me and in those around me. Being able to thrive in every circumstance is something I crave. As I have been thinking about the new year, I have been asking what it looks like for me to be planted in His house and to flourish in this season, and what is preventing me from doing it. I have some answers that I want to dig deeper into in the coming months.
One is distraction. It takes work for me to stay intentionally focused, planted in Him. The first five verses of Psalm 92 talk of praising the Lord, proclaiming His love in the morning and His faithfulness at night. My soul longs for what my schedule and my distraction so easily push out.
Another is comparison. Comparing my life and even my blessings to those of others can inhibit flourishing. Trusting that God is wise and good and knows what I need can free me from staring too long at the lives of others.
And finally, holding too tightly to the past. It is vital to my faith to remember all that the Lord has done for me in the past. It builds my faith in ways I cannot put into words. Sometimes, though, I find myself staring too long at ways He has worked around me, in me, and through me in past seasons, and it is easy for me to miss the new things He is doing now. Bearing fruit in each season and staying fresh and green requires that I watch for how He is working now and for new roles He has for me, even when they are different from roles I loved in the past.
Read Psalm 92.
Listening Prompt
Take a moment to reflect on the areas of your life where you are flourishing and offer gratitude to God. Then consider what may be hindering your growth and invite Him into those places. May we all “stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.’”
