Watch “Willows and Palms” Jentezen Franklin, host of Kingdom Connection & Pastor of Free Chapel. www.jentezenfranklin.org

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today

I want to talk to you for just a few

moments from Leviticus chapter 23 if

you’ve got it verse 40 and you shall

take for yourselves on the first day the

fruit of beautiful trees branches of

palm trees and branches of leafy trees

willows of the brook and you will

rejoice everybody say rejoice before the

Lord your God for seven days

this scripture caught my attention

because it is a strange instruction that

God gave his people during one of the

feast the feast of tabernacles the high

priest was to go into the presence of

God with two things in eat in his hands

one in one hand one in the other God

said when you come in during this feast

to represent the people high priest I

want you to have in one hand a palm

branch and in the other hand I want you

to have a willow we would call it a

weeping willow branch and I want you to

come and rejoice before me with both of

these branches one in one hand one in

the other hand and I want you to rejoice

before me what a strange instruction it

shows us the mixture of life in these

two branches because the palm tree

represents prosperity it represents

victory it represents success it

represents joy when I think of a palm

tree I think of sunshine I think of

happy days I think of good times I think

of the beach come on I think of spring

break I think of good things I think of

you know the happy times of life that’s

why they were waving the palm branches

because in Jewish culture back then it

represented victory victory and so it’s

powerful good wonderful happy things

that are happening but then on the other

hand you have the weeping willow branch

which represents weeping I mean when you

see a weeping willow tree it looks like

tears it looks like it’s flowing it’s

crying it’s been over it’s it represents

distress

and looks like weeping and sad times and

trials and adversity and and and what’s

astonishing about this instruction is

one represents health one represents

sickness one represents prosperity one

represents destitute struggling and need

and what I love about it is that’s

really how life is that life is

constantly either one of those limbs or

the other you’re either having palme

days at this particular season that I’m

talking to you right now or you’re

having will of days where tears are

flowing and things are tough and it’s

hard and I just want to remind you that

you’re not gonna have palm tree life the

palm tree life all the time you got to

learn to worship with a willow and a

palm because whether you’re in good

times bad times palm days or weeping

willow days here’s the key God is the

same God does not change because we’re

in a different time he’s faithful his

goodness is all the time his blessings

are all the time and he said come in and

rejoice before me because I don’t let

take my favor from you when you go

through the bad times you don’t have any

more of me than you had when you were in

the good times cuz I’m not just the god

of the good times in the hills in the

mountains I’m the god of the valleys and

the tears and the weeping I’m there all

the time everybody praise Him just a

moment for the willow and the palm

hallelujah you know God puts palm days

in our life it’s just sometimes it’s

just going good I wonder how many of you

are in Palm days right now it’s just

good things happening you don’t really

have anything to complain about that’s

right see some of y’all just barely

raised your hand I said how many of you

are in Palm days right now let me see

look at there how many of you are in

Palm days well you’re not supposed to be

reserved in your palm days you’re not

supposed to be quiet about it in your

palm days man life is life is so crazy

that that I’ve learned

when it’s good and things are going good

and the marriage is good and the

children are good my health is good and

the church is good I’m gonna rejoice

don’t tell me to quieten down we need to

celebrate the good times when you

haven’t palme days be happy about it

rejoice about it and here’s why

because Isaiah 15 and verse 7 said they

who have abundance shall carry it away

to the brook of the willows that means

that you can start out with a palm

branch but it’s a matter of time before

you get a willow and not a good

picker-upper today it’s the truth that’s

this is life this is the world we live

in and if you’re only gonna be happy and

rejoice when you’ve got Palm days you’re

not gonna be rejoicing a whole lot but

if you ever learned a secret of I praise

him in the good times and in the bad

times in the willow days and the Palm

days God’s good all the time we said

come to me come to me there are two

times when you’re most vulnerable number

one when you’ve got nothing

number two when you’ve got everything

that’s when you’re most vulnerable and

just because you’re having willow days

if you’re having them and you’re going

through tears and sorrow and maybe your

children or something’s going on in your

family your home your finances your

health seems to be you know in fading

from you and struggling physically just

because you’re going through willow days

this is a great lesson in this it does

not mean you’re out of the will of God

and you’re certainly not out of the

presence of God

sometimes we equate you know happy days

and blessings and successes and

prosperity to being with God but notice

that God is trying to teach us that

you’re with me not just when good things

are happening in your life but when

doors shut and when you lose your job

and when you get a bad doctor’s report

I’m the same God come with all of it and

rejoice that I’ll never leave you and

I’ll never

forsake you and I am faithful I’m

faithful

Paul said you’ve got to learn to abound

he said I’ve learned to abound I’ve

learned to be a bass I’ve learned to

worship God on my palm days when I’m on

top of the world and I’ve learned to

worship God when I’m in my weeping

willow days and it feels like my world’s

falling apart

whatever stayed if I’m in a palace or

I’m in a prison it’s ok God is with me

you know the amazing thing about it is

this that ought to be encouraging to you

is you you can start out with a Palm day

and before the days over it can become a

willow day one phone call and just like

that a Palm day can go to a willow day

you were shouting a happy and fun life

was good and just like that you get some

news and tears are flowing and trials

and burdens and weeping but miracles can

strike just as suddenly as tragedies so

you can be in weeping days and just like

that God can put a palm branch in your

hand and say the storm is over it’s time

to bounce back little palm tree and

shine and you know how those branches do

in the sunshine it’s gonna suck

here’s see the Bible says this about God

we count days as as as from morning

tonight but that’s not how God counts a

day read it when he created the days the

Bible said he started with the night and

he went to the day and then he called it

one day in other words God says it’s not

over until the Sun shines and God wants

you to understand no matter how dark

your night is he will not leave you in

the darkness he will finish and you will

finish in the sunshine you’ll go from a

willow to a palm he’s going to be

faithful to you everybody take a praise

break I don’t care what you’re going

through

willows or palms come on let me hear

from the Willows let me hear from the

people in let me hear from the palms

people who are really blessed let me

hear from there’ll be a lot of rejoicing

we ought not to have to have anybody

pump us up he said rejoice rejoice

rejoice Philippians 4 and verse 4 says

everybody say it big say it fat come on

get into it are you ready rejoice in the

Lord always and again I say rejoice turn

to somebody near you and say whether you

got a willow or a palm today the Bible

commands you to rejoice in the Lord

always and again I say rejoice God is

with you God is going to be good to you

he’s good he’s faithful

some days I walk in and I feel down so

willow day nothing going good kids

acting crazy Charisse is not treating me

right

money acting funny tore up from the

floor up jacked up everything wrong but

the Bible said bring you will ins and

still rejoice in the Lord always and

again I say rejoice

hallelujah see I’m not in a willow right

now I’ve been there though I’ve been

there I’ve had to preach through willows

I’m in Palm days right now all my

children are gone it’s a blessing I mean

in a good way I don’t mean that ugly

it’s just it’s just Palm this calm palm

it’s calm but you know I wrote this down

yesterday I’ve learned that we make a

bigger deal about our willow days than

our palm days when we get up with a

headache oh god I got a headache it’s a

willow day and we call 20 people before

we get to the kitchen I got a headache

we make a big deal about our willow days

but when we get up every one of you

pretty much got up without a headache

this morning you didn’t call anybody you

didn’t call me so I don’t have a

headache today but you make a big deal

about your willow days but you act like

the palm days are no big deal and that’s

why I’m preaching to you today that some

of you the only time God can get your

attention is when you’re in trouble

which explains why you stay in crisis

after crisis if you had ever learned

that in the good times that’s when you

really need to rejoice and come in with

your palm branch and say thanks Lord I

got a promotion this week thanks God

I’ve been blessed thanks God I sold a

house this week Lord you’ve been good to

me I don’t really worry about the will

of people because they’re desperate

they’re gonna keep coming

they’re going through trials they’re

crying they need your every service Oh

God

to help me keep me alive I worry about

the palm people because we’re not real

good at being faithful to God in the

palm days what we do in the palm days we

get in the boat that God blessed us with

and go out on the lake on Sunday instead

of coming with that success first

I mean hitch it up and bring it in the

parking lot and come and worship God and

teach your family church matters and

then go celebrate that’s that stuff

that’s what I’m preaching that’s what

I’m preaching I like this little sermon

see I’ve learned and you know and

somebody says is that how you got today

and say I feel that sometimes from I can

preach better than that but but I’m here

and you’re not

but but here’s my point this is a palm

date but what you don’t know that made

me what I am is I went through willow

days with this ministry where I didn’t

have a bunch of people and didn’t have a

lot of money and didn’t have but but if

you’re faithful through the willow days

God will give you the palm days and

people to scratch their head and they

don’t know the other side of the story

but if you’re faithful in the Willows

God will bring you to the palms

everybody take a shout opportunity right

here and praise God praising right where

you are you got a lot to praise him for

you made a big deal about your Willa’s

make a big deal about your blessings

hallelujah

I hope you shout so much you get on your

neighbours nerve I hope you shout so

much God’s been too good for you for you

to be sound the truth

bring it before the Lord the good times

and the bad times the Willows and the

ponds and rejoice the Bible City rejoice

you got a whole lot more willows or

palms than you do Willis Psalms 34 and

one everybody say this ready I will

bless the Lord at all times his praise

will continually be in my mouth Psalms

103 and verse 4 bless the Lord O my soul

and all that is within me bless His Holy

Name bless the Lord O my soul and forget

not all his benefits who forgives your

iniquities and heals all your diseases

everybody take a praise break right

there it’s a truth rejoice

one more somes 30 and verse 5 Psalms 30

and verse 5 you ready here we go

weeping may endure for a night but joy

comes in the morning you know what he’s

saying he’s saying if you’ve got a

weeping willow in your at my hand right

now don’t give up in the night don’t

quit in the night don’t throw in the

towel because I promise you that God has

a palm that’s coming your way

weeping may endure for the night but joy

palms are coming in the morning

hallelujah hallelujah

one more Psalms 115 and verse 18 but we

will bless the Lord from this time forth

and forevermore praise the Lord

what does that mean that means from this

day forward make a decision make a

choice you’re blessed the goodness of

God is still in your life you’re not out

of the will of God because you’ve gone

through some tears and some trials but

from this day forward I will bless the

Lord I will praise him there was a young

there was a preacher that I heard about

true story that was dedicating his

brand-new building and he had a guy who

was real fired up as a Pentecostal

church and this guy would really get

fired up in the praise and just erupt

and praise and they hadn’t really

trained him to not go berserk you know

and and he would get real excited and by

the way I would rather have a fool on

fire than a then a scholar oh nice

I can deal with wildfire but when you’re

dead you’re dead give me a little fire I

can calm him down a little bit but but

he was dedicating his new building this

preacher was and he and he got and he

had a bunch of dignitaries and big shots

in the town

we’re coming mayor and all that kind of

stuff you know and politicians and

people like that and so he wanted them

to be a good respectable service and so

he he had the guy he pulled him aside

before the service and he said now

listen said we got a lot of big shots

coming we want to make a good impression

we don’t want you to freak them out or

anything I know you love the Lord but

could you keep you praised a little

sedated could you keep it calm as a

matter of fact if you will not act up

and you will just sit there through the

service and not really praise God like

you normally do I will buy you a brand

new pair of cowboy boots this guy like

cowboy boots

he said my pastor I’ll do it I’ll do it

for new pair of boots

he said well you got it I’ll buy you a

new pair at the end of the service so

they got to having the service and music

was going boy the guy was sitting on the

front road they would started singing

some of his songs that he really liked

it his tapping his toes but he’s he was

suppressing that praise and not really

getting into it calming himself down he

was doing good till the preacher got the

preaching halfway through his sermon he

quoted his fat hits favorite verse and

when he quoted his favorite verse

something hit that boy and he shot up on

his feet and he said preacher boobs are

no boots I’ve got to praise the Lord

sometimes you need to tell the devil

boots are Nobu’s blessing are no house

or no house promotion or no promotion

whether I get it or I don’t get it I’ve

got to praise the Lord

Willis or Palms give him praise

that’s the message today and I’m saying

to you that if you keep praising God in

your weeping and your will of days it’s

a matter of time before you will it

becomes upon God won’t leave you in your

darkness but I found something that’s

gonna bless you if you have your Bible

turn there with me to Revelation chapter

7 and verse 9 Revelation chapter 7 and

verse 9 and this is what it says and

after these things I looked and behold a

great multitude which no man can number

of all nations and tribes and peoples

and tongues standing before the throne

in heaven before the lamb clothed with

white robes watch what they had with one

palm branches in their hands when I read

that I heard the Lord say notice what’s

missing

in life we have days always of both but

when we get to heaven there’ll be no

more weeping there’ll be no more sorrow

there’ll be no more sickness there be no

more dying there’ll be no more crying

there be no more diseases there be no

more trial so you ought to get happy all

we’ll have is good days happy days

joyful days we’ll lay our burdens down

forever

so I want you to get up on your feet and

I want everybody I don’t care if you’re

a teenager I don’t care who you are I

don’t care if you’re multi millionaire

I don’t care if you drove up in a

Mercedes or you wrote a meal I don’t

care I want you to take in one hand

you’re willows the trials the problems

the adversities and I want you to take

in the other hand the blessings your

health the goodness of God you got

clothes you got foods you got a house

you got family you’re blessed and I want

you to take both of them and I want you

to rejoice for just a moment and say God

you’re worthy of the praise I thank you

I thank you I praise you even while

you’re praising God can turn your willow

into a poem

so so let me say this so listen check

this out so so the Lord impressed me I’m

careful when I say that but I really

felt this that that we do make a bigger

deal about our willow days than we do

our palm days and the Lord said I want

you to give a different altar call this

morning if you don’t know Jesus as your

Savior he can turn your weeping into

dancing he can turn your sorrow into joy

and turn your shame into praise and this

is your chance to receive him I promise

you he won’t turn you away this can be

the greatest day of your life I’m

getting thrilled in my soul because

somebody’s been through hell but God’s

gonna use the bad stuff to make a good

thing happen in your life only God can

do that

you’ve been weeping long enough it’s

time for the palm the good times in your

life and your family pastor pray for me

I need a change in my life right where

you’re standing be bold as a lion if you

want Jesus to save you we can’t pull you

down front but if you’ll acknowledge him

his grace will come

pastor pray for me I need a change in my

life I need to repent I need to get

right with God pray for me that you

raised your hand boldly all over this

ring hina lift it up all over this room

hi it’s awesome

raise them high don’t be ashamed don’t

be ashamed keep them up a moment keep

them up you raised your hand keep them

up all over this ring that’s amazing

raise them high raise them high keep

your hand up now if you see someone with

their hand raised gently put your hand

on their shoulder right now gently do

that just as an act of kindness and

agreement

gently put your hand on their shoulder

pray these words are you ready

Lord Jesus I thank you for the cross you

came into Jerusalem and everybody was

waving palm branches five days later

your palm became a willow and you were

hanging on a cross bleeding for me

your mother was weeping at the foot of

the cross and I thank you that you love

me that you wash me that you are on my

side

and I receive your forgiveness the blood

of the Cross washes all my sins I am

forgiven and it looked bad but then you

turn that willow three days later

into a pond when you rose from the dead

I believe therefore I receive eternal

life in Jesus

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