Fruitfulness in Relationship with God

Scripture — Psalm 92:12-15 (NRSV)

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.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
showing that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Devotion

Six years ago, I began exploring the possibility of our flourishing as we get older, or, as we say at the De Pree Center, in the third third of life. I began my exploration by a careful study of Scripture, looking for what God’s Word says about aging. I found many passages that suggested that we can flourish as we age. Indeed, it is more than possible. It is God’s will for us.

As I examined dozens of biblical passages, one stood out for its forceful statement of flourishing in life, even “in old age.” Psalm 92:12-15 became foundational to my third third work at the De Pree Center. It remains so today.

Though this passage from Psalm 92 doesn’t use the word “purpose,” it reveals a crucial facet of God’s purpose for us. God intends for us to flourish. The Hebrew verb translated as “flourish” in (parach) has a literal meaning of “bud, sprout, or flower” (see for example Gen 40:10 and Isa 35:1-2). Psalm 92 underscores this meaning in verse 14. Those who flourish in the courts of our God “will still bear fruit in old age.” Flourishing is not limited to the first and second thirds of life. God wants us to live a “flowering life” all the way along. (By the way, the English translation “will still bear fruit in old age” renders truly the sense of the original Hebrew. But a more literal translation would be “will still bear fruit with gray hair.” I must confess that, given the status of the hair I have left on my head, I’m rather fond of that more literal rendering.)

What is it that enables us to flourish, to be fruitful throughout our lives, and therefore fulfill God’s purpose for us? Before I answer this question positively, let me say that flourishing in life is not a matter of working harder. Not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with hard work. But if we believe that our flourishing depends mainly on our own effort, then we miss a main point of Psalm 92.

And what is that point? Notice that the righteous flourish like trees. Why? Because they are “planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God” (12:13). The house of the Lord was the temple in Jerusalem with its courts. Being planted in the temple was a poetic way of talking about being planted in God. We will flourish when our roots grow deep into the “soil” of God. Jesus makes the same point in John 15, though using a different agricultural metaphor. There, he says that we will be fruitful when, as branches, we are deeply connected to him (John 15:1-8).

Psalm 92:15 makes a similar point differently. After saying that the righteous “will still produce fruit,” the psalm writer adds, “showing that the LORD is upright.” Our flourishing is a result, not primarily of what we do, but of what God does in us, through us, and for us. So, when we flourish, God is glorified because God is the source of our life, including our fruitfulness (see Eph 1:8-14).

Psalm 92 encourages those of us who have “gray hair,” to be sure. But it also speaks to those who are younger. No matter which third of life you are in, no matter your condition or context, if you want to flourish in life, if you want to live fruitfully, then focus on growing more deeply in God. Be rooted in God. Make your home in God through Jesus Christ. As you do, you will come to know God’s purpose for you, and you will live fruitfully as you fulfill that purpose. Not only will this fill your life with meaning, but God will also receive the glory.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Fruitful in Old Age.