The Righteous will flourish like the Palm Trees
by Karen Corriea
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of
the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Gen 1:1-3
Notice that God created light before the sun. It was on day four that the the sun, moon, and stars were created. This tells me that this light was different, this light is God’s answer to the existence of the earth’s state of darkness and void. Later in in the Holy Bible, the Spirit hovered over the dark void of Mary’s womb to create the Light of the world, Jesus the Christ. To qualify for this holy calling, she had to contend with her own fears. No doubt, being an unwed pregnant young girl in a zealously, strict religious society was dangerous. So Mary’s had a double bind situation. But Mary like us today, had to forsake the power and principles of every other voice in order to yield to the fresh move of the Spirit. The Spirit hovers and calls to the deep in us today to rise. God gives us the free will to consent or quench the Holy Spirit’s work within. The Holy searches the earth like a woman sweeping the crevices of her home to find her precious coin. God is looking for willing vessels. The Spirit still walks on the waters of our emotional seas, daring us to follow Jesus’ lead. Will we step out of our boats of knowing and comfort into the unknown as we follow Jesus?The diciple Peter bare witness of God’s saving power in his moment of doubt. Courageously Peter defied his own understanding at first to follow behind Jesus but he began to sink when his focus shifted from Jesus. The Savior was responsive to Peter’s cries and his courage lives on to inspire us today to follow Jesus.
What can we learn from the palm tree? A living palm tree bends for it constantly draws living water which makes it pliable. A dead tree as well as a body without breath is rigid. The risen Christ has released the Holy wind for the dark void that inhabits human hearts. May we be like the palm tree and yield to the Spirit’s movement of God’s grace in due season. Amen
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