Fruitfulness in the Right Seasons

Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

(Psalm 1: 1 - 3)

One of the Psalms that I memorised as a child after mastering to recite Psalm 23. Whenever someone mentions 'Psalms' I generally get reminded of the great promise and assurance that I find in this. When I learned it as a child, it indeed made sense to me, but in a different way. 

My father, when he taught me patiently each meaning of these verses of this Psalm and did his best to make me remember them by heart, he would have been sure that this Psalm will speak to me at different seasons of life. Indeed, as I moved from one season of life to another, within these three little but long decades, I saw the meaning of this Psalm bringing in the right message at every stage; such a precious Psalm to remember and cherish.

The eligibility to claim the promises and assurances of life in Psalm 01 is very clearly defined. That person must, first of all, have the will to ignore wickedness, sin and mockery (Psalm 1: 1), and must have the eagerness to delight in the law of the Lord and to meditate on His law day and night (Psalm 1: 2); quite crisp-clear about what to ignore and what to embrace in our life!

There are, indeed, great rewards for those who know to delight in and meditate on the law of the Lord, day and night. Let us expand these two words - delight and meditate. Those who are 'pleased greatly and find great pleasure' in the law of the Lord and those who 'think about the Lord's law deeply, consider its nuances and wonder at the depth of its meanings throughout the day' can see the rewards God has kept for them. And, Psalm 01 describes these life-long rewards in such an amazing way. It says:

"That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, 

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers."

A person with a life that ignores all worldly opportunities of pleasure and cherishes the word of the Lord, giving its due prominence and priority, is like a tree planted by the streams of water that yield its fruits in the right seasons and its leaves will not wither. 

As the person is like a tree planted by the streams of water, there is always providence and that person never goes without God's help. As long as the stream keeps flowing, the person's life as a tree next to it is also blessed. And, the greatest assurance is that this stream is the stream of eternal life that flows from the throne of God. There are seasons to be fruitful. God has blessed nature with its own mysterious time-table of bearing fruit. And God has indeed, blessed us all with the right seasons to bear fruits in the family, at school, at the workplace, in the community, in the society, in the church, in places where there is a need, in places where people need someone to listen to them, in places where people just want to listen to you and many more. And a person who is assured of God's rewards will bear the right fruits at the right time. Those who cherish the word of the Lord in their life never lack nourishment. Their leaves will not wither. The more the leaves, the more the nourishment, the more the fruit-bearing. The Psalm promises that whatever (and I would like to repeat it) whatever they do prospers. Whatever initiative they take, whatever project they step into, whatever journey they take, it all prospers! 

I just pray that today God will help us to see these how more fruitful we could be in this world. I just wish that all of us who are reading this will bear fruits that benefit the lives of others around us, and I wish we would keep bearing fruits in the right seasons. God has kept different seasons of fruit-bearing in our lives and He puts us in different places during these seasons for our life to be of benefit for many others. Let us learn to ignore wickedness, sin and mockery in our lives and learn to embrace God's word as the most meaningful part of our lives. Surely God will bless us as trees planted by the streams of water, help us to bear fruits in the right seasons and will not allow the leaves of our lives to whither. Whatever we do will prosper. 

May the blessings and power of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us as we continue to delight in and meditate on God's precious words. 

Yours in Christ,

"Psalm 01" by The Corner Room