Psalm 1:3 “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.”

The Psalms, compiled after Israel’s exile to Babylon in 5th century BC, are songs and prayers written by David and other authors to God. They are instructive and didactic in how to act to keep in good relationship with God; they speak about God as omnipresent, with us, whatever our circumstances are. This specific verse speaks of those who study God’s Word, and what happens to them, versus others who do not honor God’s word and are not careful with their thoughts and actions—as we are all asked to treat our neighbor as ourselves, honor our father and mother, not to covet or steal, and the other commandments which Moses shared.

My work as an elementary school Academic Interventionist, where students are assessed every 8 weeks to see if they have mastered certain skills, is sometimes exhausting, particularly if the data doesn’t show mastery, although I have a sense these students are on the pathway to understanding. This is one reason why this verse about a person being like a tree, yielding fruit in its own time, is powerful to me. I am left feeling, after reading this verse, that when we follow God’s law, or in the case of these students, practice the skills they are learning, things will happen--not necessarily when we want, or hope, but with our faith, in its own time.

Being a worrier, when things don’t happen exactly when I think they should, I think this verse gives all of us an invitation to take a deep breath and be present. Looking at the trees around us, we can remember where we are and that this is the only place we need to be. As Christians who are faithfully doing our best every day to acknowledge the presence of God and consider what God would have us do when facing our concerns, we can take comfort that whatever happens, we will not wither. As children of God, like trees, we will continue to grow—despite whatever mistakes we make—and through the process, prosper.

Paula Eisenrich