Growing In Faith
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Posted: July 23, 2022
Author: Kerry Lytle Psalm 92:12, New Living Translation "But the godly will flourish like palm trees and they're strong like the cedars of Lebanon." |
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Palm trees are common in southern California and Hawaii, but until I started studying Psalm 92 I hadn’t realized how symbolic they are to Christians. Palm trees are unique in many ways. They have a distinct appearance and they grow much taller than other trees. Palm trees give us a sense of paradise and peace. That’s why the ancient Jews used palm branches to greet Jesus as He entered Jerusalem. So, what are some characteristics of a palm tree that symbolize a Christian?
As Christians we stand out in a crowd—or at least we should. We are not better than others, but the way we carry ourselves—our speech, our demeanor, our disposition—should be dramatically different than non-believers. There is something special about us. People can see that you have something that they don’t have, and they want it. What we have is God’s grace. That is what makes us special.
No matter which way they are planted, palm trees always grow towards the sun, even if it means that they must twist and contort themselves. A Christian centers their lives on Christ, striving always to grow closer to God. Sometimes that means making difficult decisions and resisting things that make us feel good. We bend and twist ourselves as necessary both to avoid sin and resist temptation, while at the same time we reach for God.
Palm trees are lean and slender, shedding excess branches as they grow. The wind still blows on them, but there is less for the wind to grab ahold of. As we grow stronger in our faith, deepening our relationship with God, we shed our desire for worldly things. We become less vulnerable to temptation and center our lives on Christ. That way when the difficult times come we don’t worry about material loss, but rather we maintain our hope in what matters most, our eternal salvation.
Have you ever seen a palm tree in a storm? They are made to bend and not break under such strong winds.
Do you know what happens to the palm tree when it's under stress? The roots grow deeper and make the tree even stronger.
Much like life, we have our stretches of time when things seem to go our way. We enjoy the sunshine and flourish with the changing seasons. We also have times when life is challenging and we need to dig our roots deeper to make it through the storm. So often when we go through those times they are the moments when we grow the most.
Although palm trees may look weak and scrawny, appearances can be deceiving. They sway to and fro in the wind, but they never break as opposed to the dense, bulky trees whose branches snap under pressure. Just like the palm trees, we have the special ability to weather the storm. That special ability is none other than the hand of God working in our lives.
Christians don’t have fewer problems, but we do have an all-powerful God to help us get through them. We embrace our struggles, our difficulties, and our crosses. We still feel the pain, but we don’t allow our pain to overcome us and we never lose hope. We bend and sway, but we never break!
The palm tree is a symbol of victory. In the Bible palm branches were carried as tokens of victory. We see this in the march of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. Palm branches covered the path for Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. We celebrate Palm Sunday to celebrate Jesus entering into Jerusalem. Just like a palm tree we are symbols of victory as well because of what Jesus did on the cross. We can lead a victorious life free from sin and condemnation and celebrate in victory with Jesus for eternity.
The palm tree has beauty. It represents peace, life and strength. It is used by God and His word as an example of what we should strive for-the character traits of strength, maturity, and deep root of faith in Him. Trust in the Lord and He will make you flourish like the palm tree.
May God enable each of us to flourish like the palm tree beautiful in the Lord, standing out in the world, and standing strong against trials....all to His glory!
