The Bible

Lately, I have been in some sort of funk. A rough spot. I could try to explain, but I can't make sense of it, even to myself. It is unfamiliar and unpleasant and I have been unfamiliar and unpleasant in it. Hopefully it will go away soon.

Because of the funk, or maybe to defy it, I have been spending a lot of time memorizing Scripture. I used to do this a lot when I was younger, but haven't as much in recent years. I'm making my way through Psalm 119 because it is all about God's word. The law of the Lord. Longing for it. Needing it. Walking in its ways. I figure if I get this Word and keep it inside of my head, then it will trickle down to the rest of me and I will be ok. In Psalm 1, David talks about how the person who delights in the law of the Lord is like a tree planted by rivers of water. And in Jeremiah 17, there is another tree analogy. It says a man who trusts and hopes in the Lord will be like a tree planted by rivers of water that spreads out its roots by the river. It isn't afraid of heat or anxious about drought because it is so connected to the river. I want to be like that tree. I want my roots to be in Him and in His Word so that I will be grounded, not fragile. Those roots will make this funk trivial.

I first stumbled upon those verses in Jeremiah (17:7,8) a couple of years ago. They made a mark on me. I started the lines below then. I guess its sort of a prayer.

A Tree By the River

Make me like a tree by the river
whose leaves of green will ever grow
make me like a tree by the river
who finds its strength in the river's flow

Make me like a tree by the river
who fears no loneliness or shame
make me like a tree by the river
who calls itself by the river's name

Make me like a tree by the river
who worries not about its need
make me like a tree by the river
whose roots reach down to the river's deep

Make me like a tree by the river
that stands strong in drought, wind, and rain
make me like a tree by the river
whose life began when the river came

Make me like a tree by the river
who knows from where it's glory comes
make me like a tree by the river
who shows the world what the river's done