Day 27: A Green Olive Tree
Read: Psalm 52
It is easy to fall into a rut of negativity when we live in a world filled to the brim with it. We are surrounded by terrible news stories of violence; we see it in the workplace between dishonest co-workers; we can experience fractured family relationships. This world is full of negativity that is rooted in sin. In Psalm 52, David shows us what it is like to view the world through the lens of God and the hope found in the Bible.
David says in verse 1, “Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all day.” God’s love is never changing. The passage continues by telling us that the worthlessness of evil stands no chance against God’s love. He is unmatched by the evil in this world. “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!” We cannot find comfort in the things of this world when evil strikes. But when we instead seek God and find refuge in Him, we can find comfort in His perfect, steadfast love because evil stands no chance against Him.
As David is shifting the attention of this passage from the evil in the world to the Lord, this is a statement that holds commitment. Verse 8 says, “But I am like a green olive tree, in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.” Earlier he mentions being uprooted from the land of the living, but just an olive tree is secure in the ground, David implies that he is secure in his faith. There is nothing in the world to hold on to, but the roots we place in the Lord will never fail.
There is much to praise God for because just like David explains that he finds refuge “in the house of God,” we find refuge in God too! He is our safe place that we know we can run to. “I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly,” David declared. All the evil in the world is no match for the goodness of our Heavenly Father. Praise God!
When we are up against a storm in our life, do we give into the evil and let it consume us, or do we face it as if we are tree secure in the ground with deep roots?
Take some time in prayer today thanking God for His steadfastness. Thank Him for the refuge he provides. Write down a time in the past that God was your refuge as a tangible reminder that He will continue to be your refuge in the future.