Pastor’s Message for March 2022

Greetings from Mt. Dora, Florida. I am writing this pastoral reflection as I sit in the screened porch of our rental in central Florida. This is the fourth year that we have spent the month of February in Florida since I retired. We have rented a different place in a different area of central Florida each year, depending on what was available that would accommodate our two dogs, Snicker and Rosebud.

Although the places where we have stayed were all different in location, distance to the ocean, entertainment, nearby golf courses, and shopping opportunities, there was one thing that has been common to them all: palm trees. I do like palm trees. But I don’t think I like them because I find them to be so beautiful. I think that I like them because they indicate a place where the weather is warm and usually sunny.

While I was reading from the Psalms yesterday, I came across a passage from Psalm 92:12-15. It reads:

“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, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.'”

I probably would not have paid much attention to the reference of a palm tree had I been writing this from my study in Freedom, but it caught my eye since I can see palm trees all around me here in Mt. Dora.

What was the author saying? How does a palm tree flourish?

There are numerous types of palm trees, but in the scriptures, palm trees always refer to the date palm. The date palm was a very important tree in Bible times, and still is today. The date from the date palm is abundant, tasty, and nutritious. In addition to the dates, the leaves are used for making baskets and roofs, while the trunk is used for lumber.

The palm tree is able to withstand the hurricanes that batter Florida because of its unique structure. Although the trees appear top heavy, the reality is quite the opposite. They have a large number of roots spread across the upper levels of the soil which secures a large amount of soil around the root ball, making for a bottom-heavy base. The trunk is more flexible than other trees, so that it can bend 40 or 50 degrees before snapping. In addition, the leaves fold up like feathers in a wind storm, enabling them to survive where oak trees would not.

The writer of Psalm 92 recognized the ability of a palm tree to flourish, not only by being fruitful even at an old age, but also by surviving the storms of life.

It is inevitable that we will all face storms in life. As the palm tree is well suited to survive a hurricane, likewise, we are enabled to survive the struggles and storms of life with God’s help and guidance. There is nothing that life can throw at us that we will not be able to withstand, as long as we lean upon the Lord for strength. Most important, we need to be deeply anchored in the Lord so that the battles we face will not topple us. Be sure that your faith is deeply rooted in the Lord so that you will be able to withstand the storms that surely challenge us all in life.

I am looking forward to being with you this March in worship.

Blessings,
Pastor Dave Vaughn