Are You Thriving or Just Surviving?
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”
Psalm 92:12-13 (NIV)
Twice in Psalm 92:12-13, the Psalmist uses the word “flourish.” It’s used to describe the quality of life we can live when we are rightly related to God, despite the circumstances life may bring! It says, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”
Is “flourish” a word that would describe your life? Who are those who flourish, and how do they do it? Look at the verse again. Did you see it? It’s the “righteous” who flourish. They flourish in the courts of our God because they are planted in Him! When our lives are planted in Him, we can flourish because He supplies all the nourishment we need to flourish!
A couple in our church with a two-month-old baby were told their young infant was suffering from a potentially fatal condition called “failure to thrive.” His regular checkup revealed a loss of weight from his birth. The doctor was concerned and prescribed a supplement for the infant’s diet that soon produced the results needed to thrive. His mother had suffered a difficult labor and delivery and was unable to supply all the nourishment her son needed. The same is true of our spiritual lives. Jesus said He was the Living Water and the Bread of Life. We all know the importance of bread and water. Without them, our bodies would not survive long. Whenever we are hungry or thirsty, we know how to satisfy those needs. But do we do that spiritually? The real problem is we’re so busy doing the urgent that we fail to do the most important: nourish the soul. Someone once said, “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You happen to have a body.”
Just as our bodies need nourishment to thrive, so do our spirits. When we fail to thrive spiritually, we need to act. We can go to Christ, the living water and the bread of life. His Word will nourish our souls. Prayer will quench our thirst to connect with Him and experience His refreshing presence. This is the daily diet of every believer. Neglect it, and you will fail to thrive.
Sometimes, we try to satisfy our spiritual hunger with human resources. We may rely so heavily upon friends and the experiences of others that we haven’t learned how to go to Christ for our own spiritual food. Or, perhaps, we’ve had such a great spiritual feast in the past that we thought we would never have to eat again. We grew faint because we were still functioning on an encounter with God, we had years ago.
If you are spiritually hungry, it is not because God does not have an abundance of resources prepared and available for you. When God gave manna to the children of Israel in the wilderness, they had to go out each day to receive God’s daily provision. They could not store it up for the next day. It was fresh each morning. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Spiritual nourishment is something you must seek daily to thrive spiritually. When we connect with God daily through His Word, we feel the strength and spiritual vitality that time alone with Him offers. Continue each day to feast on His Word and, through prayer and worship, quench your thirst for God. When you do, the Bible says you’ll flourish like a palm tree, you’ll grow like a cedar of Lebanon!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.