Mensa Otabil - Like the Palm and Cedar (10/01/2025)
We’ve been looking at someone since Monday, but we’ll shift gears a bit and look at Psalm 92. We will focus on verse 12 of Psalm 92, which states, «The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.» The term «righteous» refers to people in a right relationship with God. It does not mean people who are sinless, perfect, or never do anything wrong, but rather those whose trust is in the Lord—people who have Christ in their hearts as Lord and Savior and who maintain a connection with God.
This is what «the righteous» means, and the passage indicates that those who have this relationship with God, who are connected with Him and have Christ living in their hearts, will flourish. That’s a very important statement: God will cause you to flourish. In other words, you will blossom, flower, and bear fruit. The passage uses two trees to illustrate what happens to the righteous. The first is the palm tree. The palm tree is a very durable tree; it’s not fanciful and does not have beautiful flowers, but it produces real, quality results. Every part of the palm is useful. So when the Bible describes the righteous as palm trees, it implies that your life will be durable and that you will flourish. You will succeed, but in a stable, strong, and authentic way.
There are people who discuss fruitfulness, but their fruitfulness lacks substance; it’s just a mirage—something they talk about but never manifest. God wants you to have fruitfulness that is real, substantial, and substantive. Thus, you shall flourish like the palm tree—not just having flowers without fruit, but you will genuinely produce results in your life.
The second tree mentioned in the passage is the cedar. The cedar tree is typically valued for its fragrance; it has a beautiful scent and is also used in construction. Unlike the palm tree, which produces things independently and is not used much for furniture, the cedar tree’s fruit is the tree itself. The tree serves as both fruit and fragrance; it smells nice and is utilized for strong construction.
God says if you are righteous, you will produce results, but not only will you produce things, you yourself will be a blessing. There are times when we create things that bless others but we ourselves do not embody a blessing; we are not a fragrance. The cedar tree speaks to influence and impact—when you produce things, you will also be influential and impactful.
In 2021, these are the symbols I want you to keep in mind when we discuss fruitfulness—the work that God does through you, with your gifts, talents, and abilities that impacts the world. While you are impacting the world and others enjoy your fruit, you must also be a blessing in your home and life in all that you do. God will make you influential and impactful.
So, the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. In this year, may the Lord enable you to produce fruit, and may He make you a blessing, influential, and impactful, in Jesus' name.
Let’s share a word of prayer together. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me to flourish wherever you plant me. Enable me to grow and become a blessing to others in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.» May the Lord cause you to flourish like the palm tree, and may you grow like the cedar. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil, shalom, peace, and life to you.