Posted by Chuck Scherl
No dog park today, way too blustery and windy for me and for my pups. While Buster kept my lap warm while we prayed “lauds” On this blustering morning. I ran across one of my favorite verses in all the psalms:
"The just will flourish like the palm tree and grow like a Lebanon cedar. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God, still bearing fruit when they are old, still full of sap, still green." (Psalm 92:12-14)
God has stayed with me through all the ups and downs of my life. Like the Israelites wandering in the desert, I have had times when I was close to Him and times when I rebelled or drifted away. But He never gave up on me. Now, even as I grow older, He has kept me alive and strong, helping me grow and bear fruit like a tree planted in His presence.
This journey hasn’t always been easy. Following Him has brought me into what St. John of the Cross calls the thicket of the cross. It’s a place where suffering and love are connected, where I’ve learned to trust God more deeply. I can’t fully explain it, but He has placed a quiet, unshakable certainty in my soul—a kind of knowing that He is always with me, even when life is hard.
Through all of this, God has given me the gift of praise. The Psalms and prayers of the Church have become my way of staying close to Him, helping me see His goodness and faithfulness. So, I can say with my whole heart: "You are my God, I praise You; You are my God, I love You. Please, never let me be apart from You."
Lord, You have been with me in my wanderings and in my return.
You have planted me in Your house,
And by Your grace, I flourish—full of sap, still green.
Though I have entered the thicket of the cross,
You have made it a place of encounter,
Where Your love refines me and draws me closer.
