At Times, We Feel Like Those Plants!

Read: Psalm 18:28-30; Psalm 18:34-36

Yesterday, there it was again. A nice-looking tomato on the vine with a bite taken out of it. Wasps again! I pulled it off and tossed it in the trash. That is the second episode with the wasps, and because of them, I have been picking the tomatoes before they are fully ripe in the hopes that I will get them before the nasty little bugs do. Too bad I didn't get that one picked in time! Besides the damage the wasp did, I noticed something else as I was looking for tomatoes. The plants are becoming frayed. The leaves are withering more due to the extended number of very hot temperatures we have had and the fact that they get the hot afternoon sun. I have been watering them diligently; however, the summer has begun to take its toll. There is good news though. There are still small tomatoes coming on the plants. From blueberry to marble size; so, the plants are still bearing fruit in spite of their bedraggled appearance. There is still life in them!

Sometimes, due to the circumstances of life, we feel like those plants, don't we? Kind of worn and withered. Weary because of factors beyond our control and wondering? Can we still bear fruit for Jesus? In spite of how frayed around the edges we are?

Back to the plants if I may. A good thing is that the plants don't have to look pristine and unruffled to bring forth fruit. They can appear worn out and still produce some tasty produce. For example, tomatoes. If we keep watering, there is a chance.

So how do we keep watering our lives? No doubt there are many possible answers, but let's look at David's life and learn what truths sustained him. Psalm 18 is David's praise to God. This is a place where he looked back and thanked God that his enemies had been vanquished, and David had enemies whose aim it was to keep him from fulfilling the good plan God had for his life. A bit of background first. David was the king elect. Anointed by God through the hands of the prophet Samuel, 1 Samuel 16. However, God wasn't ready for him to take the throne. Instead, he went back to his sheep and after that, he served the reigning king, Saul.

Because of Saul's jealousy, David ended up on the run for many years. He hid in caves and managed to stay ahead of Saul's rage because of God's interventions. His trust in God's plan sometimes shone brightly. While at other times, David walked in the flesh. Doing things that caused him to resemble plants in the heat of summer. In other words, David's life was, as it is with our own lives, a mixture of sweet fruit and fleshly reactions. What gave David the fruit he did bear? I think we have a clue in Psalm 18:28-30; Psalm 18:34-36. In fact, the entirety of psalm 18 is David's praise where he honored the LORD for his victories. The times of fruit bearing were, according to this psalm, the result of God's intervening in David's life. In spite of the times where David yielded to his flesh and the weariness he understandably dealt with because of his circumstances. I love the pictures in verses 28-30; 34-36 of this Psalm. Let's remind ourselves about these simple truths that can be a part of our own lives as they were a part of David's.

1. God gave light to David.  We are told that God's word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. Just enough illumination for our next step. Not a flood light that makes clear the next 100 miles, but a glimmering light that keeps us from harm in the moment. For us, maybe a command in the Word to obey or a promise to cling to. I wonder how many times the light of God's truth has lifted us up just enough so that we were able to avoid one of Satan's snares.

2. We are told that God gave strength to David. Strength to do what was necessary to keep going until God removed Saul and elevated him. Strength so that David didn't give up! Strength to continue through the everyday weariness of fleeing from an irrational enemy.  For us, we have the promise of Philippians 4:13. That we can accomplish all that God desires because we receive His strength. So necessary for when we truly feel frayed around the edges, and truly, we always need the strength the Lord is ready to provide. He will pour it out into our lives, and His supply is not given out with an eye dropper.

3. We are told that David knew that God Was his refuge. A place to run for help.

For us, we can run to God no matter whether we feel strong or weak. He will never turn us away or forsake us just as He never forsook David. Jesus was forsaken so that none who belong to Him will ever know that horror, Matthew 27:46.

4. David knew that it was the gentleness of God's dealing with him that had made him great. What an admission spoken by Israel's king. He knew that He needed the gentle hand of the Lord even though he was a warrior/king. For us, how good it is to know that God is there to lift us up with His strong but gentle hand. He is the One Who said that a bruised reed He would not break, Matthew 12:20. Jesus also called Himself humble and gentle, Matthew 11:29. Jesus is the Shepherd Who goes ahead and gently leads. He does not drive His sheep.

5. David knew that it was God Who gave him a secure path on which he could walk. When He stayed on the path that God provided, the LORD kept him from slipping into ruin. Though David made many errors, as we all do, God kept him from ultimate destruction. For us, we know that He Who began a good work in our lives will also carry it out unto the day of Christ Jesus, Philippians 1:6.

These are merely a few Bible truths that, as we water our lives with them and then act upon them, will aid in our fruit production. Even if at times, we feel like the summer struck plants.