Hold Strong and Bear Fruit - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - October 26
Withstand the Wind and Bear Fruit
By Meg Bucher
“From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubic and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.” - Ezekiel 41:20 NIV
Balmy air began to thaw the winter chill as the airport doors flew open. While the brown and leafless trees in my midwestern backyard still awaited the rebirth of spring, a line of palm trees swayed in the tropical Southern breeze to wave a welcome. “Funny,” I thought as I removed my fleece-lined jacket, “how things can be dead and frozen in one place and warm and alive in another.”
The Book of Ezekiel contains a descriptive vision of a temple. In the quiet hours of my early morning time with God, I started to notice a repetition. Palm trees. Ezekiel’s temple was never built. Scholars think it either will be built in the future, could be something we witness in heaven, or it could be a prophetic vision full of symbolism.
A palm tree farm came up on my right as I biked down to the beach. Palm trees can stretch up to eighty feet and withstand powerful winds that shred their fronds, but they don’t bear fruit for the first six to eight years of life. I couldn’t help but wish to farm such beautiful fruit in my own life, and found encouragement in my current season of growth. Remembering the palm trees in the temple design of Ezekiel’s vision, I couldn’t help but feel connected to something ancient.
We are connected to the one who has always been. The great “I am.” Yahweh. The One True God.
The ancient palm tree reminds us we will bear witness to hurricane-force winds. The gusts may strip away our fronds, and we may have to be picked up and replanted after seasons of storms. The fruit of our lives isn’t always showy or ornate. Sometimes the cross we carry is simply to remain standing while the wind bends us.
“From the floor to the entrance, palm trees were carved …"
The Living Word of God connects us to our ancient ancestors. We are one people … God’s people. We are walking the same earth Jesus came to walk upon in order to secure our salvation. “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’” (John 12:13 NIV) Crowds waved palm tree fronds in celebration on Palm Sunday, as we will upon His return in celebration. John wrote, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9 NIV)
In every note of Scripture, we are reminded of who God is, who we are in Him, and why we trod the earth. To glorify Him, withstanding the wind and bearing fruit in due time. The Living Word of God connects our daily lives to our Father in heaven. God faithfully meets us in His Word every day with a fresh portion of His love. He is faithful. He is good. From floor to ceiling, He is carved on our hearts.
Meg Bucher writes about everyday life within the love of Christ as an author, freelance writer and blogger at Sunny&80. Her first book, “Friends with Everyone,” is available on amazon.com. She earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University, but stepped out of the business world to stay at home and raise her two daughters. Besides writing, she leads a Bible Study for Women and serves as a Youth Ministry leader in her community. She lives in Northern Ohio with her husband, Jim, and two daughters.
Related Resource: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less
If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
