- Flourish and grow
Psalm 92:12-14
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those that be planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age;
They shall be fat and flourishing;
The righteous (the believers in Christ) shall flourish. Flourish is the promise; the word is used three times. Flourish also means to grow, to bring forth fruit, and to be fat; these three synonyms fill out the meaning of flourish. They will flourish like palm trees and cedar trees, particularly those righteous ones who are planted solidly in the Presence of the Lord. Those who dwell and grow in the presence of the Lord receive rich nourishment from the Word; therefore they flourish.
The image of trees growing in the marble temple of the Lord is, of course, imaginary, but it easily lends itself to seeing the flourishing, growing, and producing of those so planted. Neither a tree nor a human being lives and grows in the literal stone temple (the house and courts of the Lord), but spiritually the solid believer in Christ is established in the presence of the Lord at all times, planted in His temple in a figurative but accurate way.
In the presence of God nourishment, provision, protection, care, refreshment, health and wholeness will be continually surrounding and penetrating the believer; the simple key: abide there. Flourishing is the automatic outcome of such husbandry. The nourishment and all the enriching care come from the ministry of the Spirit through the Word of God. Good things happen to the person who abides (remains, stays, lives, dwells, walks) in the Vine. Jesus says (John 15:5): “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” We can produce nothing; He does the flourishing.
The presence of God, the indwelling Spirit, is in the center of your spirit; go there frequently and stay there as long as you can. We will get distracted all the time by worldly affairs and the matter of living life on earth, but there are ways to remind the self to come back to the center and pay attention in the midst of other activity.
Abide like a tree; then flourish and grow.