Psalm 52
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
Psalm 52:8
This verse of the Psalm stood out to me and I found myself wondering what it means. The house of God is referring to the protection of God, His kingdom. If we think about being at home, it is a place that is comfortable, sheltered, where we have all of our belongings and our family, a place that is very safe. The house of God is a place where David, representative of believers, has protection, and in this place of protection and safety and peace, we can grow like a green olive tree. A few words mentioned in my study as representative of a green olive tree include vitality, fruitfulness, production, security, and flourishing. An olive tree not only flourishes for many years, but it also provides sustenance through olive oil and olives, and so this simile is saying that a believer is fruitful, they produce, they have vitality, they flourish, and they have things to provide to God and to other people. Even when we are under someone else's roof, such as God's roof where He provides for us abundantly, we still provide abundantly. It reminds me of how when we pray for something, we must take the first step in the right direction. Moses had to lift his hand for God to work. We must take that first step, but we are in the house of God, and He will provide protection and safety allowing us to flourish, if we trust Him.
The cycle of trust is a positively reinforcing loop. We trust God, we see God's faithfulness, we trust more. This is what David says at the end of this verse, that he trusts in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. The more we see our flourishing like an olive tree lasting for years, the more our trust grows to the point where we will trust Him forever.
With faith, we must dip our toe in the water. We must take the littlest step in the right direction of where we feel God's calling, and He can move mountains. We dip our toe in the water and He will teach us how to swim. We will be fruitful and we will multiply if we take that first step and trust in God, and then our trust will become a trust that endures forever and ever.
The study of this Psalm today is a good reminder for me to rest in the Lord and be faithful in the little things so that I can be faithful in the big things. If I am faithful to study His word each and every day, I know that God will provide me with wisdom. This is a reminder and a calling to me to be faithful with what I have so that I can see God's faithfulness.
