Planted by the Living Water

     "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked... but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all he does he prospers." (Ps.1:1-4)
    We read these words this morning before my youngest child's first day of school, and, of course, my mind meandered back to Cane River (sorry, just one more time!).  I recalled all the lush green trees and bushes hanging on the edge of the rushing stream and couldn't help but pray: "O Lord, might we be continually saturated by Your enabling, powerful, perfect Presence like those verdant, well-waterd trees growing beside Cane River."  We never saw any dead, shriveled trees up there--or at least any trees dead due to drought or moisture loss.  Nothing brown or dried-up or desperate looking--unlike our yard which seems to continually and futilely cry out for water.  Just deep, rich green trees and bushes and shrubs lining the flowing, life-giving waters of the stream.
     God tells us in Psalm 1 that we can be like those continually well-fed trees when we meditate on His Word day and night.  His Word brings us solace in our sorrows, calm in our chaos, strength in our weakness, hope in our anxiety, wisdom in our confusion, perspective in our perplexities, and light in our darkness.
     Jesus promised that "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)  He provides all that we need; He is all that we need.  And in His Word we are nourished and satiated and satisfied fully, richly, perpetually.
     His Word truly is a continual feast for our thirsty souls, if we will but come to Him and drink.  Might we choose to be planted by His Living Water so that we will be like those well-watered, flourishing trees.
     But I need  to add that life for those trees growing by Cane River is far from easy.  The winters are extraordinarily harsh and long high up there in the mountains.  The snow storms fierce, the winds bitter and biting, the temperatures frigid,  the warm sun and gentle summer temperatures a distant memory come the lonely wintertime.
     Being planted by the stream does not exempt the trees--or us--from life's fierce and sometimes frightening storms. Yet, in the midst of the storms, the trees are anchored deeply and safely by the nourishing waters.  They remain strong while trusting, waiting, knowing that with spring's renewal, God will make all things new.
     And He always does.  Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day.
     And He will for us as well... even in the midst of our seemingly impossible and relentless storms.  His Word remains our constant, never-failing, life-giving Stream.
      So while the storms rage, we wait and trust and stay anchored in His Word.  And when the summer sun returns, we rejoice and revive and grow.  Whatever our circumstances, when we are planted by His Living Water,  He feds us with His wisdom and peace and power and love and joy and grace flowing from His supernatural Word. Summer or winter, spring or fall, His Word never fails and always feeds.   Go to the River and be fed and fortified.  As one of my favorite songs puts it:

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world,
O let the ancient words impart
Courage, peace, a loving heart.

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world where ere' we roam
Ancient words will guide us home.

Ancient words, ever true
Changing me, and changing you.
O let the ancient words impart
A moving, quick incisive dart.

     He waits for you even now in His Ancient Word, ever true, ever new.  Go bath in His waters and be refreshed and renewed and restored.  To our Living Water, our great God, be all the glory.