Psalm 92 "12The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, 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."
The Palm tree not only grows, but thrives in environments that would uproot, break, or snap in any other tree. In hurricanes the palm tree can be seen almost touching the ground, yet not breaking. What makes these trees so solid when the winds set in? It is a combination of their root flexibility and their sponge material that allows the trunk to bend. Scientist were studying palms, and put them in the perfect environment, or so they thought. The palms did not grow very high, and some even toppled over. At first the scientists were confused, but soon learned they forgot the natural element of wind. The trees needed the wind to blow against them, causing their roots systems to grow deeper which provided strength and long term support for life. Trees with a strong root system also bounce back to their former position quickly after bad weather.
Sometimes the Lord needs us to grow our relationship with him, by allowing the winds of pressure to blow in our lives. At times its a gentle breeze, and others its a full blown category 5 hurricane. The Palm grows in a straight shoot, standing tall among the trees. It has no other branches or parts that would give the wind a foothold to uproot it. It resembles our own ability to continue to grow straight toward God in our faith, even when the winds are blowing around us. Mature roots take time to grow, but Palm trees remind us that strong winds grow deep roots!
