FLOURISHING OLIVE TREE

This psalm reminds readers that evil cannot endure forever. Those who suffer under oppressive regimes today, where leaders boast openly of their power to make trouble, may feel overwhelmed by a sense of futility. Where is one to go for justice? On a smaller scale, we may encounter malicious people, who, perhaps out of prejudice against skin color, ethnic origin or social background, deliberately put us into awkward situations in order to humiliate us. Likewise, manipulators can skillfully use words to emotionally blackmail us, landing us in circumstances where we feel trapped. Even if we do not experience this personally, we may know others who have.

Despite what often look like impossible situations, the spiritual reality may be different. God is aware of evil and will ultimately uproot the wicked (5). I remember my father often saying during the Communist rule of Hungary that such a system built on lies, selfishness and oppression ultimately cannot endure because God is just. My father lived long enough to see his conviction become a reality, even though he did not expect it to happen in his own lifetime. Whether judgment comes promptly or slowly, however, we need to trust in God.

The psalmist contrasts the boastful wicked who depend on their wealth and power (7) with his own trust in God’s unfailing love, which will lead him to flourish like an olive tree (8). Olive trees could survive for centuries, fruiting usually every other year; even when the main trunk has died, there would be new shoots coming up from it, prolonging life (Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51–100, 38). What is the secret of such trust? Like a tree needs water to survive, our trust needs God’s presence (what the psalmist describes as God’s house) to keep thriving. When we live in that presence, we can see God’s reality.

Remember in prayer those who feel overwhelmed by human evil. Seek the Lord’s presence daily and live by his reality.