There are four places I know of in the Bible that mention trees by the river. Reading them together, they paint a powerful picture of our lives when we are rooted in Christ. Come with me to the river if you will.
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord…
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the riverbank.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:5-8)
Ezekiel 47 tells of the river flowing from the temple of God that brings life everywhere it touches – even desolate places come to life when the river touches them. On both sides of the river are trees never failing to bear fruit, with leaves that are always green.
Revelation 22 contains one of the most beautiful passages in scripture. It describes the river flowing from the throne of God with trees on both banks. The leaves are for the healing of the nations and the fruit never ceases.
In each of these passages, it is the river from which the trees draw their strength and life giving capacity. And it is from God Himself that the river flows.
Jesus tells His followers:
“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him). (John 7:37-39)
No Christian sets out to be a fruitless, half hearted Christian but I suspect each of us at different times find ourselves feeling like our leaves are brown, and the fruit, all but dried up. So we work at our calling a little harder, and try to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, desiring joy, but feeling stressed and stretched thin. (Maybe its just me…)
I am reminded with each of these pictures that I need to follow the river. If the river flows from the very presence of God, that is where I need to be. In the presence of Jesus. Where my roots are nourished, where the fruit and the leaves of my life develop and my soul is renewed. If I am not continually in the presence of the Lamb of God, immersed in His river, I will not have the fellowship with the Holy Spirit that bears fruit.
Some kinds of trees remember drought and pass along the DNA to dig deep roots to all their seedlings. We too should be passing along knowledge to sink down deep roots into the river to everyone we disciple, while not forgetting ourselves.
May you be continually reminded to seek God’s presence and drink deeply from His river of life this week!
BY KATIE PETERS