Like a Tree

Who does not have powerful memories of trees? A shady tree of childhood? A climbing tree of youth? A particularly beautiful flowering tree? A rich, fruit-bearing tree? A tall majestic tree? Memorial trees along road sides? Windbreak trees along fields? Massive sequoia and redwood trees along the coast? Gnarled and wind-shaped trees of the upper elevations?
Tree is a word richly used throughout the Bible, from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Genesis to the tree of life in Revelation.
So it comes as no surprise that Psalm 1 uses "tree" as a template for the life of the righteous person. The happy/blessed/righteous person is like a tree planted by streams of water, yeilding its fruit in the right season, with leaves that are rich and green, not withering. The source of that tree's life and strength? Medidation (absorbing, eating, drinking, dwelling) on the Word of God (Psalm 1 says "law of the Lord") day and night.
The altar-piece evocatively shows lush branches in resting in blue waters, undergirded by righteous waters flowing down. May we so dwell there!