Grass on a Rooftop

May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop, turning yellow when only half grown.

Psalm 129:6

Every now and then as I read Scripture, a word or a phrase jumps out at me. Sometimes this happens because the Spirit of God stirs in my mind. Sometimes I am simply struck by the beauty or even the oddness of an expression.

As I was reading Psalm 129, the phrase “grass on a rooftop” caught my attention. That’s not something you hear every day. In ancient Israel, roofs of common homes were often made of beams and branches covered with thick mud. When the rains came, grass seeds embedded in the mud would sprout. But because its roots were shallow and its source of water temporary, the grass on the housetops wouldn’t thrive. It would wither and die even before it was fully grown.

I don’t want to be like grass on a rooftop. I don’t want to look as if I’m flourishing in life, only to shrivel up and die. Rather, I want to be like the trees described in Psalm 1. They are planted along a riverbank, with roots burrowed deep into rich and well-watered soil. Thus they bear fruit in season and “their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Ps. 1:3).

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What aspects of your life have been like grass on the roof? What helps your roots to grow deeply so that you might live a fruitful life?

PRAYER: O Lord, I don’t want to be like “grass on a rooftop.” I don’t want to look good for a moment, only to wither away. I want my life to bear fruit for your kingdom, not just now, but for as long as I live.

So help me, Lord, to let my roots grow deeply in your soil. May I be continually nurtured by your Word. May I be watered by your Spirit. May I spend intentional, regular time with you and your people, so that I might be like the trees in Psalm 1.

All praise be to you, O God, because you give me life abundant and eternal. Amen.