God reminded the people of Israel through Moses and Joshua that they must choose who they were going to serve—whether the gods of the nations or the one true God (Joshua 24:14-15). He provided them with a clear picture of the blessings they would experience if they chose to trust Him and the curses they would receive if they turned their backs on Him to worship idols (Deuteronomy 28:1-68). These outcomes served to remind all of Israel that Yahweh was Lord over all and that, to flourish, they must keep Him at the center of their lives.
Jesus taught a similar concept in John 15 to His disciples by using the analogy of a vine and branches. He reminded them that He was the True Vine and that His people were the branches. To bear fruit in our relationship with Him, we must remain in Him by remaining in His Word through trust. He promised that those who do this will bring God glory by bearing much fruit and showing that they are his true disciples (John 15:8).
Since God is the author of life and is life Himself, it’s logical that to experience flourishing, we need to remain in His presence. The Lord helped me understand this better on a trip to the Grand Canyon several years ago. As we walked around the rim, I noticed three sights that initially seemed unrelated.
The first was a single, small wildflower growing among weeds on the dry and dusty trail. This flower was unique in that it survived the hot, desert climate, revealing that it had just the right amount of light, water, and shade to flourish. As we stood at the south rim of the canyon, I looked out and saw a patch of deep green surrounded by an ocean of brown right in the middle of the canyon. I knew there had to be a spring keeping the plants and grass nourished so they could grow in this sun-scorched spot. As I turned to look further at the canyon’s north and south rims, I noticed another stark contrast. The north rim was covered in lush, green pines, while the south was filled with dried, dead plants. The shade on the north rim provided not only a higher altitude but much-needed protection from the harsh afternoon sunlight, allowing the trees to remain green.
As I thought about these three sights, I realized they all had a common theme, serving as a metaphor for staying rooted in the vine of the Father’s love. To survive and thrive in a harsh climate, they required the right amount of water, air and sunlight. Like these plants, we must have the right spiritual elements in our lives to survive and thrive. We need to drink from and be nourished by the water of Father’s Word, strengthened by the air of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and find life and shade in the presence of the Son of Righteousness.
The Lord promises that when we rely on Him and His resources, we will be like a fruitful vine that bears much fruit and does not wither in the heat, much like the plants in the canyon (Psalm 1, John 15). As we consistently, day by day and minute by minute, draw life from God, we not only survive but begin to thrive – despite the harsh conditions of life. The promise of God is certain – when we remain in Him, we will receive his abundant spiritual blessings and the strength we need to flourish in an often dry and weary land.
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).
