Xanthe Hancox

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him  Psalm 92:12-15

When we began this brief series of messages on trees, we looked at a tree which was described in Psalm 1 verse 3, where the Christian was compared to a tree planted by the rivers of water. We were told that, like the tree, we would bring forth fruit and that our leaves would not wither. We also learnt that with God as our gardener, we would always prosper.

 A couple of days ago how we spoke about how, in biblical times, if you wanted to build something that would last a long, long time, if you wanted the building to be beautiful and strong, you’d use the cedars of Lebanon.

So it’s no mistake that Psalm 92 is just as specific and says that God will make us to be like cedars of Lebanon. The writer didn’t just choose his favourite tree. He chose a symbol for beauty and strength; he chose the tree used in the construction of the temple. When the psalmist says we’ll be like cedars of Lebanon, everyone who heard that psalm would know, “God’s going to make me strong and beautiful. Cedars are the pillars of the temple, and God’s going to make me a pillar in his kingdom, a person who is strong in the faith among his people. Just like how the cedars were used to build the temple, God will build his kingdom using me.”
Prayer: Lord, let me be like cedars of Lebanon, full of sap and vitality, evergreen, despite the harsh winter snows. Father, you are my rock, it is only through you that I can flourish to praise your name. Amen.