While struggling to pull out dandelions I have always been amazed at how their outward flimsiness belies their power and tenacity. Those weak looking weeds are really tough guys! Not only are they hard to dig out, they even grow during drought and in a matter of weeks produce tremendous quantities of seeds to ensure their future generations. They are flourishing!

Their secret is not in looking good or being loved and cultivated by the general public. Dandelions like palm trees have roots that penetrate tough soils and draw moisture from deep below the surface. They thrive in spite of opposition. Then they astonish us with their lace like seed balloons ready to start new generations!

In this Psalm God gives a promise for when we enter our later years. He reminds us that old age need not be synonymous with weakness. God’s assurance is that if our roots reach down deeply into our relationship with Him that this may be the most fruitful and amazing time in all of life. We don’t need to just flail along through life’s race. We can be flourishing all the way through the final lap when He brings us home!

They are planted in the house of the Lord ; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Ps 92:13-‬15