But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God forever, and ever.
-Psalm 52:8
Psalm 52:8 opens with the words “But I…” “But I” implies that I am an exception, or what was just said does not apply to me. When I first 
read this verse as a standalone statement I wondered what birthed the comparison and distinction.
The previous verses say this:
“The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, ‘See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!’”
—Psalm 52:6-7
In other words, David was saying the man who does NOT make God his refuge and places his trust in his own provision is a fool who will be mocked. But a righteous man who makes God his refuge, who trusts in God’s provision and who trusts in the steadfast love of God, is like a “…green olive tree in the house of God.”
To trust in the love and provision of God is to flourish and prosper in His house.
Because this olive tree is not just any olive tree—he compared himself to a “royal” olive tree. David was basically saying that through steadfast love he was an olive tree that had the best soil, the best water, and the best care because he was rooted and grounded in the House of God.
If a person who roots himself in the love and truth of God is a green or flourishing olive tree, then the opposite of this would also true… If we are rooted in the world and trusting in anything apart from God’s steadfast love, we are like a “brown” olive tree or an olive tree that does not produce fruit.
When we are rooted in the steadfast love of God, His love for us and in us births trust.
Love is the root of true trust… and true trust in God births the fruit of success and stability in Him!
