This morning I woke up feeling like it was time to go to bed, like every year of my life creaked and groaned somewhere or someplace in my connections. Purpose felt dried and brittle. Pieces of life felt disconnected.
Then I read Psalm 92, a song sung as part of Old Testament Sabbath worship. It contrasts weakened scattered enemies of God with the strength and vitality of the righteous.
“They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green…”
I like sappy and green, don’t you? 
To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Ps. 92:14-15; NASB.
That little preposition “to” jumped out at me.
“To declare …”
Prepositions and conjunctions are everywhere in Scripture joining words and clauses. I’ve overlooked them. Little insignificant words, mere prepositions like “and,” “but,” “or,” “to,” get overlooked next to big gun action verbs, proper nouns and descriptive adjectives. I am starting to sit up and take notice of the little guys.
God’s words are intentional, even ones I may have ignored in the past. It turns out insignificant connecters are very important to God.
Maybe prepositions and connecting words are kinda like people. Little people, like me, maybe even you, and lesser known characters in the Bible, God knows each one. Those myriad of conjunctive people, part of the body of Christ, the “ands” “for” and “buts.” Yes, even the buts. Big and important lacks context without those tiny connectors.
I’ve not paid enough attention to the conjunctions in my life.
Christ’s church, is made of a vast body of parts, many of them overlooked and unnoticed, but each with inestimable purpose and value.
When life throws hard stuff, “so that” makes sense out of suffering. “Therefore,” gives context to what the next passage is “there for” by joining it with what came before. “But God” changes direction drastically, turning us 180 degrees, and “in Christ” births life from death. Twists and caveats pivot on those tiny words and phrases.
I’ve skipped over a lot of conjunctive bridges in my life, but this one from Psalm 92, breathed hope into me as much as any verb, noun, or adjective. The Psalmist, although he faced wicked foes who rose up against him, enemies, and workers of iniquity, did not despair. He exercised thanks and praise. He intentionally chose to do right. He found purpose and life in his circumstances.
“To declare:
-He is my rock.
-No unrighteousness is in Him.
When my green and sappy feels gray and dry, a little “to” provides the “why” to keep on, to push ahead.
In spite of weariness, a few worn edges or irrelevant status, I have a few sappy and green declarations left in me. How about you?
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