Confession time! God has granted me many talents, but a green thumb, or any other finger, was not one of the talents He decided to equip me with! I am not sure if it’s the fact that every living plant I have ever touched has shriveled to its demise, or that I simply haven’t the patience to nurture and wait for results. I do know that I enjoy the harvest more than the process; anyone else?

Psalm 92 reminds us that if we “remain planted in the house of the Lord” (KJV), we “shall flourish in the courts of our God” (KJV).

I do not know about you, but for me, it is the “remain planted” part that seems to be the hardest. We are so focused on the flourishing promised when planted that we fail to focus on the remaining planted part in order to see the flourishing or the fruits of us being planted. We become Christians with popcorn mentality, wanting our prayers answered before we even finish praying. And when we do not hear from God or see the results that we expect, we quickly uproot and amend to get us closer to the flourishment, that we expect. News flash! We were not created for us. We were not created to bring glory to ourselves, we were breathed into life by God, for God!

When I think about being rooted in Christ, I think about the task assigned to trees. God created trees to grow deep, and tall at the same time! Think about it! Trees must grow down and up, at the same time, in order to reach their full flourishing functions. Roots deep to gain nourishment and stability, and branches that extend in beauty and bounty! Are you rooted? A better question, in what or whom are you rooted?

We have all found ourselves in the wrong soil. The wrong career. The wrong relationship. The wrong, fill in the blank. Without being us planted and remaining planted in the soil in which God has created us to flourish in, we will find ourselves listening to the enemy and uprooting ourselves, with a constant unrest. But if we choose to plant ourselves in the house of God, as stated in Psalm 92, and allow the Holy Spirit to nurture us, our roots will be able to grow deep and our branches tall and wide; allowing God to be glorified while we flourish in His Name, not ours!

Are we willing to be patient; are we willing to grow deep before we grow tall and flourish? Let us meditate on this as we read Psalm 92 and ask God what we can do for Him instead of what He can do for us. Let us be bold and allow God to plant us where He wants us; let us be patient and remain rooted as He is glorified, and we flourish for Him!