1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.—The words of the Psalmist from Psalm 1:1-3
The Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post describes a man—a male man or a female man—who has staked his or her claim on a pattern of life that offers indisputable stability, comfort, peace, security, and overwhelming joy. This individual has determined to delight in the law of the Lord. Said another way, this person has chosen to follow the pathway that God lays out in His precious Word.
To activate the reality of this life-choice, this blessed person—or so the Psalmist describes him or her—chooses to meditate day and night on God’s Word. Can you imagine such an investment of time and energy? This person has made the Word of God the principal focus of his or her life. This person has discovered the source of all truth and makes the decision to wholeheartedly embrace that truth by immersing himself or herself in the Word.
As the busy-ness of our lives engulfs us, we find it hard to imagine giving this kind of time commitment. Even more, we cannot imagine giving our attention and the focus of our mental faculties in such a singular direction. Obviously, because none of us has done this, we cannot reasonably conceive the bountiful benefit that ascibes to the person who has done so.
What kind of life do you live? Do you look around you and see trouble mounting on every front? Do you feel hemmed in by constant claims for your time and energy so that at the end of the day you find you have little to account for your efforts? Instead of feeling truly rooted and grounded in a stable environment do you feel like the ground on which you stand may give way at any moment? Do you long for a place of comfort, rest, peace, security, stablility, and joy?
Then I urge you to follow the pathway outlined by the Psalmist. Delight yourself in the Word of God. Spend time each day reading God’s Word. Don’t allow yourself to settle for a cursory glance at a few verses during some rushed part of your day. Really invest some time to not only read your Bible, but meditate on it.
The Dictionary describes “meditate” as “...to focus one’s thoughts on; to refelct on or ponder over.” In order to meditate on God’s Word it will take effort on your part to focus your thoughts on what God says through His Word and to ponder what He says—to turn it over and over in your mind. If you think about it carefully you can certainly imagine how taking the time to meditate on God’s Word “day and night” would reap a rich benefit for the one investing the time to do so.
The world in which we live seems caught up in great turmoil. The enemy has directed every bit of his attention toward destroying our sense of well-being. But God has an answer for us. He wants to overcome the enemy’s attacks. He wants to return our lives to a place of stability and security and peace and joy. He gladly gives us His Word to instruct us in the pathway that leads to salvation in this world and in the world to come.
I invite you today to take your Bible in hand, open it, and begin to immerse yourself in real truth. Then delight in what God reveals to you in His Word. If you do so, you will find that you will yield fruit in its season, your leaf will not wither, and whatever you do will prosper. That’s not my promise. It’s God’s promise.
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Thank you for Your willingness to teach us from Your Word. Thank You for allowing Your Holy Spirit to make Your Word come alive in our hearts and in our minds.
Give us wisdom and determination to set aside the time we need in order to spend it with You in Your Word. Honor our desire to serve You faithfully in this matter. Help us to draw the stability, security, peace, and joy from what we read in Your Word.
Thank You for the overwhelmingly generous way in which You give us strength and purpose for each day. And, thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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