Ps. 92:1-15, A Life Living Like a Great Tree of God
Ps. 92:1-15, A Life Living Like a Great Tree of God
1-15, 1.It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, 2.proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, 3.to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. 4.For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;I sing for joy at what your hands have done. 5.How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts! 6.Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand, 7.that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish,they will be destroyed forever. 8.But you, Lord, are forever exalted. 9.For surely your enemies, Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. 10.You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me. 11.My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. 12.The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13.planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14.They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. 15.proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."
Dear congregation, we are currently passing through a significant season of life. While in our youth we may have grappled with the question, "How shall I live?", now a different set of questions arises in our hearts: "What kind of fruit am I bearing right now?" ???? "Have I truly lived a life well-lived?" ???? "How ought I to live from this point forward?" Some of you may even find yourselves thinking: "Is it not too late now?"... "Is there really anything left for me to do?"... Yet today, God speaks to us with absolute clarity: "They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green" (14). ???? A life lived in God never truly comes to an end. May this message serve as a time for us to reorient the direction of our lives.
1. Always give thanks and praise for the Lord’s lovingkindness and faithfulness (1–5).
Thanksgiving and praise are the very strength that sustains life. ???? “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.”(1–3). V.8: “O Lord, You are Most High forevermore.” Here, the phrase “it is good” does not merely mean, “I feel good.” Rather, it is a confession that giving thanks and praise to God constitutes the most virtuous and excellent way of life. The person who gives thanks and praise in the morning, and again at night—the one who gives thanks and praise in all circumstances and at all times—is someone whose gaze is fixed not on their circumstances, but on God. (1Thes.5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances; Heb.13:15: Let us always offer a sacrifice of praise; Ps.34:1: I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.) For example: There was a deacon who faced a series of hardships. His business struggled, his health deteriorated, and he was burdened by difficulties involving his children—all at once. He once remarked, “Pastor, I have spent my life focusing only on what I have lost.” However, one day he began to write down “the things God has preserved.” He listed the fact that he was still alive, that his family had not completely fallen apart, and that God had enabled him to hold fast to his faith; as he wrote these things down, tears of thanksgiving and praise began to flow. “My life is not a ruined life; it is a life that has been preserved.” Application: Beloved friends, your lives, too, are “preserved lives.” We tend to focus on what we have lost, but God has upheld us every step of the way. (Repeat and Emphasize): “My life is not a ruined life; it is a preserved life”—a life characterized by constant thanksgiving and praise.
2. Live Like a Great Tree (6-7, 9, 11; 8, 10, 12-14)
“Though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever” (7, 9, 11). “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (12). Grass grows quickly, but it soon withers away. The cedar grows slowly, yet it remains strong and enduring for a long time. The palm tree, possessing a powerful vitality that allows it to survive even in the desert, grows tall and upright, bearing abundant fruit. It is capable of continuously producing fruit for approximately 100 to 150 years. The life of the righteous is a “life of continuous fruit-bearing”—a “life that remains useful until the very end.” V.14 states: “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” Furthermore, the righteous grow like the cedars of Lebanon. Cedars have a very slow growth rate; however, they possess deep roots and are incredibly hard and sturdy. They are capable of surviving for thousands of years and are used as timber for grand structures, such as the Temple. Because the righteous abide in God, their lives signify an “unshakable existence” and a “life of spiritual depth and peace.” “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”
The Banyan Tree: At the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida, stands the largest and most expansive banyan tree in the United States. The shade cast by this single tree covers an area equivalent to a full-sized soccer field. Gazing upon it, I reflected: In V.12, the verbs “flourish” and “grow” carry a sense of continuity. Like the palm tree and the cedar, the faithful continue to grow in faith within the Holy Spirit and bear fruit. Like the cedar, such believers continually strike deep roots and extend their branches outward, thereby expanding the Kingdom of God. I bless you to live out the remainder of your life as such a believer—through worship and prayer, evangelism and missions, and through service and ministry. To remain steadfast in the faith—never departing from the church—this is the true blessing.
3. The righteous live a life rooted in and clinging to God (13, 10, 15)
“Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God” (13). (Cf. Ps.1:3). The world says, “It’s all over now.” It claims that as one ages, physical strength wanes and personal value diminishes. The “outer self” wears out; the body may suffer from various ailments, both minor and major. Yet, God declares: “The true beginning is now.” “Your vitality remains undiminished.” This describes a faith whose inner core never runs dry. What is the reason the righteous continue to flourish and grow? Why do they bear fruit and remain vibrant? It is because they are planted within God’s house—the Lord’s temple. It is because they reside within the courts of God(13). Let us all give thanks that we are present within His temple. How truly grateful we should be for the privilege of worshipping and praying in such a magnificent sanctuary! Furthermore, fresh oil is poured upon us. Verse 10 states: “You have anointed me with fresh oil.” Look at the ever-green trees—the evergreens! How magnificent they are! The Holy Spirit anoints us, renewing us day by day. We do not subsist merely on yesterday’s grace; rather, even this very morning, we receive a fresh supply of the Holy Spirit’s grace—grace that remains ever-green and vibrant. Thus, the believer is enabled to remain perpetually green and to continue growing, much like the palm tree and the evergreen cedar. I bless you to live a life clinging steadfastly to God, receiving the supply of His divine life anew each and every day. There was a 70-year-old Gwon-sa who once remarked, “I have nothing left to do now.” Yet, she began to spend two hours each day praying specifically for the congregation. A few years later, many members of the church testified: “It was through your prayers, Gwon-sa-nim, that we found the strength to live.” The Gwon-sa’s own confession followed: “Only now do I truly understand the purpose for which I live.”
What kind of God is He—the One upon whom we place our trust? V.15: “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” God is the Upright One; He is my Rock. He is without unrighteousness—the One who is solely just. Application: Dear friends, it is not over yet. God is still using you right now. “This very moment is the most crucial time.” It is a time to restore your place of prayer and to live for the sake of the next generation. In particular, the faith of those in their mature years is brought to completion through the bearing of fruit. Conclusion: It is not too late for your life; it has not ended. Now is the time for you to grow the widest and the deepest.
Prayer: Loving Heavenly Father, we thank You for enabling us to look at our lives anew through Your Word. Do not let us be bound by what we have lost; instead, grant us the vision to see the grace with which You have protected us. Keep us from comparing ourselves to others, and help us to take deep root in You, O God. Grant that we may continue to bear fruit even in our old age, living lives that are used for Your purposes until the very end. May the remainder of our lives become the most grace-filled season of all. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
