Havasu Canyon, with its creek of the same name, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Despite being a desert canyon, the creek allows trees to flourish along its banks. The last time I was there, resting beside the creek, I was reminded of Psalm 1 and its metaphor comparing us to trees.

Planted by the Water

A tree cannot survive without water. It doesn’t matter where it is planted; if there is no water, it will not bear fruit.

Conversely, there isn’t only one place where a tree can thrive, so long as it has access to water.

The Psalmist’s message to us is this: stay close to the Lord and do not follow the counsel of the world. If we do this, we will prosper:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psalm 1:1–3).

Fruit in Its Season

That said, it can be helpful to think more carefully about what it means to prosper.

Notice that the tree brings forth “his fruit in his season.”

It isn’t always bearing fruit.

I think we sometimes forget that everything has its season. There is a time for blossoms and fruit, and there is a time for leaves to change color and fall from the tree.

So it shouldn’t worry us when we aren’t always seeing fruit. The promise isn’t that we will constantly produce. The promise is that a tree planted by the water will have what it needs to bring forth fruit in its season.

We don’t need to worry quite so much about the season.

We just need to make sure we are still planted near the water.

Times of Heat and Drought

There is one more reason to be planted by the water: protection when heat and drought come.

Jeremiah taught it this way:

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

“For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

Notice that being planted by the water does not prevent the heat from coming. It does not prevent the drought.

We will all have times of trial and trouble. But if we trust the Lord and place our hope in Him, we can survive them.

The strength of the tree isn’t found in the absence of drought. It is found in where the tree has put down its roots.

Planted Near Living Water

So where do we plant ourselves?

Both Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17 point to the same source. The tree that survives drought and the tree that bears fruit in its season are the same tree, planted in the same place.

The person described by the Psalmist delights in the law of the Lord and meditates upon it “day and night.” And the person described by Jeremiah “trusteth in the Lord.”

As we stay close to the Lord and strive to maintain a relationship with Him day and night, we plant ourselves where there is water.

And Jesus Christ is the source of living water.

He taught the Samaritan woman at the well:

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

We will never thirst if we are planted near Him.

Where We Plant Ourselves

Psalm 1 became my favorite at a point in my life when I was trying to make a major decision.

I was concerned—probably too concerned—about leaving a job and returning to graduate school to jump-start a significant career change.

In the grand scheme of things, my current job was impactful. I had been entrusted with some pretty significant responsibilities, and my ability to continue having a positive influence on tens of thousands of people would only grow. But I was feeling pulled toward something very different, and I was torn by the idea of leaving something as meaningful as my current responsibility.

As I sought guidance from the Lord, I came across Psalm 1.

The concept of planting myself by the water stood out to me. What mattered most was that I stayed close to Jesus Christ. It mattered less whether I remained in my current position or pursued a different path. What mattered most was that wherever I went, I remained planted by the rivers of water, near the source of living water.

It changed how I have viewed these sorts of decisions ever since.

Trees of Righteousness

Life is full of opportunities. There are so many ways to grow and develop, and it is easy to worry or become distracted by all the choices and challenges before us.

Sometimes we spend too much time worrying about where we should plant ourselves and not enough time thinking about what we are planted near.

Sitting beside Havasu Creek, that lesson was all around me. The canyon itself is dry and unforgiving, yet trees flourish along the water. Trees in the desert are resilient because their roots reach for the source that sustains them.

Our lives will take us through different landscapes and different seasons. Some will be fruitful. Some will feel like drought. And sometimes we will wonder whether we are planted in the right place at all.

But that isn’t the most important question.

What matters most is whether our roots remain near the source of living water.

In the end, we can all be called “trees of righteousness” (see Isaiah 61:3) because we were rooted near the source of living water, Jesus Christ.

There will be no greater prosperity than that.

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Lead image by Davey Gravy for Unsplash+