Psalm 92:12-15
The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD, they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Sometimes older people behave… badly. There are many reasons for this, and all of them are really good. They are uncomfortable, stiff and sore. They have been hurt more often and more deeply. They have less of an interest in putting up with bologna.
This makes sense. Life is frustrating. More-life equals more-frustrations. And it’s easy, as all of us get a little older today, to withdraw from relationships, or to be in them with a negative, critical, spirit. That makes sense. That’s normal.
But is that what God wants for His people, who live by faith in Him?
Psalm 92:14 describes God’s people as “still bearing fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.” What a beautiful description! You love being with them; you love having them with you.
What makes the difference between what is normal and easy, and this other, wonderful, thing?
In verse 13 the psalmist says that “they are planted in the house of the LORD.” Okay, we’re still in metaphor land: trees, fruit, leaves, planted. But what does it mean? He breaks out of metaphor-mode in verse 15: “to declare…” Trees don’t “declare.” Now we’re talking about the human beings who belong to God.
What do these people “declare”? “That the LORD is upright. He is my rock. There is no unrighteousness in Him.” This tells us what kind of fruit and sap they produce, but also what it means to be planted in the House of the LORD.
First, the fruit is true but personal statements of God’s glory declared to others. The fruit is Good News, preached. Notice that the three statements all say the same thing: “the LORD is upright.” That is, He is trustworthy. “He is my rock.” That is, trust me, you can trust Him. “There is no unrighteousness in Him.” That is, He is completely trustworthy. You can put your whole self in His hands.
What do we preach? As we grow older, what do we fixate on? What preoccupies us? What do we declare?
Second, the sap, therefore, must be an inner life of paying attention to God. How else would we come by these declarations? These aren’t memorized facts. These are descriptions of what we have personally found our God to be like. These lessons have been sorely learned. And there is a deep power here. These testify to a person who is aware of their inner struggles and doubts, and has brought them into conversation with God, and has maintained that conversation for a long time.
No sap, no fruit. Fruit is bags of sap. The inner contemplation of God in relation to my self is the hidden thing that produces the visible thing.
What do we contemplate? As we age—as we transition at every age—what does our inner life orbit? What role does God occupy in our inner conversation?
Third, the roots, therefore must be planted in the house of the LORD. How else do we draw on a life lived with God? How else would we be able to bring the pains, worries, accomplishments and joys of life into conversation with the Bread, the Cup, the Altar, the Veil, the Court, the Washbasin?
For me to know God as trustworthy when I’m ashamed, I need to know my shame beside God’s wash tub. For me to know God as faithful when I’m lonely, I need to know Him among the gathered congregation. For me to know God as upright when I’m angry, I need to stand before the Veil and remember the mystery of mercy at the heart of His holiness. For me to know God as a rock when I’ve wandered into a far country and gorged myself on pig flesh and lies, I need to kneel before His altar, where He has done for me what I never could, so that I can be here again, with Him and you.
The house of the LORD is both the truths of the Gospel as ideas, and also the truths of the Gospel embodied in the liturgy—the programs and services and rituals—of the church and embodied in the very church itself—each other calling each other ever back to Jesus.
Age happens. We’re all aging. Kids are aging. Teenagers are aging. We’re all stepping up the age-bracket. All of us at the same rate. And there’s no doubt: the higher you go, the thinner the air gets. It’s hard.
Well, you’ll never be this young again, right? So today, “while it is still called today,” come to the house of the LORD. Drink up. Bring your feelings and thoughts out into the open and put them next to the worshipping congregation, the smoking altar, our simple Lamb-less supper.
Because, friend, I’m growing older too. And I need to know that even when I get as old as you (lol!), it will still be true that God is upright. Is He a rock, still, when I’ve lost what I have yet to lose? Tell me. I need to know it. Friend, you’ve lived longer than I have, and I have a question: Do you think there is maybe a little unrighteousness in God? Because it feels like it sometimes! What do you say?
Preach it, friends. We need your fruit. We need faith in God.
Photo by Martin Reisch on Unsplash
