September 11 – Know Your Roots (Psalm 92:12-15)

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree . . .; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”
(Psalm 92:12-13)

IN WORD:
The shifting sands of this world are fertile ground for nothing but fear. We see uncertainty all around us, in stock markets, in the comings and goings of military forces, in rapidly spreading pathogens, in red alerts and brown skies. We can easily panic under the illusion this world presents to us: that we are in a very fragile place where nothing is sure.
But that’s not the place God provides for His people. Yes, this age, with all its chaos, can be frightening at first glance. That’s why we cannot settle for first glance. We must look deeper, to the One who gives us promises of refuge and strength. He is our tower, our fortress, and our help, as so many of the psalms tell us. And in Psalm 92, He gives us a promise: “The righteous will flourish.”
That’s great news except for one unsettling fact: Deep down inside, we question our righteousness. We know we’ve earned nothing before God. So how can this passage encourage us? We know the Righteous One. He will flourish, and we are in Him. The Bible is very emphatic about that, and we can take it literally. In Jesus, we exist. His death was ours, His resurrection is ours, and His life at the right hand of the Father is ours (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1). He live in us, and we live in Him. It’s an unalterable, blessed fact.

IN DEED:
What does that mean for our fear? It means that when the towers of this world collapse, we stand firm. It means that when the bombs of this world explode, we keep it together. It all depends on where we’re rooted.
Do you feel rooted in shifting sand, vulnerable to the scarecrow tactics of a panicked society? Reconsider your position in Christ. Those rooted in the world will shake when the world shakes. Those rooted in Jesus will never shake when the world shakes, because when the world shakes, Jesus stands unmoved. Cling to Him. Trust Him. Remember that you live where He lives.

“On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” -Edward Mote-