"But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers."
And in His law he meditates day and night.
And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers."
Psalm 1:2-3
I seem to have missed something while memorizing the first Psalm over the last year. My favorite part is nestled between the exhortation against any proximity with wicked men, and their inevitable judge. The complete thought seemed so black and white to me. The contrast between one keeping company with the wicked folk and delighting in the presence of God makes perfect sense. However, this last year has helped me understand more about the time concept of the proper season the author wrote in. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter are our seasons with roughly three month increments. I see a lot of time between from one fruiting period to another. Though, I think it is a little to much to say that the fruiting will happen every 9 months. What about fires? Drought? Everything could be perfect. You, the tree could be gorging yourself by the stream's banks overflowing. The surrounding tall golden fields of wheat could be a stupendous sight in the morning with the birds and squirrels sounding off defining shouts of glee. And yet, after surviving another harsh winter, after an perfect conducting of pollen between you and your counterparts, and finally the shaping and rippening of your fruit to the most vibrant reds, your fruit is killed by a simple, morning, frost. The rest of the world shakes it off. They can continue their routine praise of the Sun's warmth. But, you just lost so much. There is no starting over for several months. You simply wait, and wonder what could be, or, at least I did (There are plenty of options that are easier to default to with more life under the belt, but I don't have that advantage). Now I have a much better understanding of time. My only hope is that at the end of all time there will be judgment and grace. I get to continue in that wonderful grace. I have everything I need to start over.
