“Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do” ( Psalm 1: 1-3, GNT).

     However, in the charred landscapes left behind by the Los Angeles wildfires, signs of life dot the landscape. On lots where houses have been reduced to piles of rubble and cars to mangled metal husks, trees remain standing tall. These surviving oaks, pines and orange trees are often the only remaining landmarks.

     The trees’ survival was puzzling to many. The trees survived because they were filled with water. Their roots draw moisture from soil and transport it through branches to its leaves. When the fires erupted in January, trees in Los Angeles were nourished following two previous rainy winters. The water made a burning living tree akin to starting a campfire with wet logs.

     The writer of Psalms 1 claims that something similar happens spiritually to those nourish themselves regularly by reading and reflecting upon the Scriptures. When the firestorms of life arise, the streams of God’s Spirit surging within grant us the capacity to withstand the scorching heat and violent winds swirling all about.

      Of course, no tree survives a blazing inferno without sustaining a few scars. Yet those who continually tap into the well of God’s Word discover an inexhaustible resource both to quench their thirst and douse the flames that threaten to consume them. When rooted in the garden of God’s grace, even the most charred of trees can survive and still bear much fruit.

       So, drink deeply from the river of God’s Holy Scriptures. Saturate your heart in the depths of His Word. For the nourishment you receive may give you the strength you need, not just to survive, but to thrive admidst the raging inferno.