[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Sunday, June 2, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you on this Lord's Day for those of you who read this still blessed to be part of this day, and good Monday to the rest of you.  I hope and pray that, by God's matchless grace, that you had a good time of fellowship with the Lord and your fellow congregants as you collectively and corporately worshipped Him in your respective Christian assemblies today.

Jim Schoenrock of Emmanuel Lutheran Church located in North Hollywood, California, wrote a very interesting article entitled "The Joshua Tree," rendered as follows:

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night.  They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.  In all that they do, they prosper.  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish Psalm 1 (NRSV)

The landscape of southern California, once you leave the sprawling metropolis, is lonely desert often without a tree in sight for miles.  The exception in the great Mohave Desert is the scraggly yet statuesque Joshua tree.  The name "Joshua tree" was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mohave Desert in the mid 19th century.  The tree's unique shape reminded them of a biblical story in which Joshua reached his hands up to the sky in prayer.

Like the Joshua tree, we are often found in the desert times of our lives seeking water to sustain our lives.  That rain from heaven often seems all too infrequent.  The Psalmist tells us the wicked are like trees that cannot stand upright.  Those who meditate on God's teachings stand upright expectantly in desert times with hands reaching up to the sky in prayer like Joshua trees.

Lord, Your teaching is water to a thirsting soul.  Help us to reach up in prayer and stand steadfast in faith in Your Word.  Amen.

And there you have Jim's article.  By the way, for those of you who live in California or, for that matter anyone else who is interested, among the National Park Service's holdings is the Joshua Tree National Monument.  You might Google that and, if you are the adventurous type, you might just go and take a look at that tree, more than likely located in an area without accessible public transportation of any kind to speak of.  At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this article.

And now until tomorrow when, Lord willing another daily thought article or story will be presented, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul