Room to Grow - Night and Day
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green (Psalm 92:12-14).
Heavenly Father, It is good to praise You, Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night (Psalm 92:1-2). Your great love and faithfulness sustain us morning and night, in every season.
Lord, It is easy to proclaim Your love in the light of morning, when the day stretches before us with promise and potential. But when shades of night fall over our lives, and we struggle in the dark, help us to lean on Your faithfulness.
You have promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). You are with us in seasons of obvious growth—seasons of obvious flourishing—and You are with us in seasons of dormancy or drought. We are reminded of this by the prophet Jeremiah:
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
Lord, thank You that even in the midst of "hampering conditions," when we see drought, and drooping, and fading and withering, You see rebound, and growth—pruning, and preparation for thriving and flourishing. Thank You that where we see obstacles, You see limitless room to grow.
Thank You, Father, that You cause us to flourish in the courts of the Lord. Thank You, that planted in the house of the Lord, we grow into mighty cedars, nurtured and strengthened by Your power and grace.
We pray for those among us who are wrestling with these promises today—those who are in difficult seasons. We pray for those in seasons of drought or decline. Sustain them in righteousness and hope.
We pray for those in the storms of grief, or pain, or life's countless troubles. Let the righteousness You give through our Lord Jesus cause them to flourish like a palm tree. Help them to bend against the winds of adversity, sustained by Your power and Your grace.
We hold fast to Your promise that the one who delights in [You] will not wither—that they will be fruitful again in season (Psalm 1:3). We hold fast to Your promise that the righteous...will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green (Psalm 92:14).
By Your grace today, Lord, teach us, wherever we are—in any season—to declare with conviction, How great are Your works, Lord, how profound Your thoughts! (Psalm 92: 5). Give us the perspective of heaven, the vision of heaven. Give us the melody of heaven—a song to proclaim Your love and Your faithfulness in the night season and all the day long.
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