Happy Friday! On Day 5 we’ll take one last look at our Psalm for the week and invite the Spirit to speak to us through the Word. Enjoy your time with the Father today!
Reflect
Read these verses slowly, meditating on each line. Ask the Spirit to speak to you through Psalm 1.
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
How do these verses from Psalm 1 resonate with you today?
What have you learned from meditating on this Psalm?
Connect
The either/or nature of Psalm 1 is common in the Bible’s wisdom literature, but it’s a little intimating to reflect on. Because as much as I want to be the one who delights in the instructions of the Lord, I know that I am sometimes more like the wicked who deny the goodness of God’s guidance and take the wrong path. It’s not always the law of the Lord that I allow to influence me.
So what do we do with a Psalm like this? Well, like many we can dismiss God’s Word in general and Psalm 1 in particular as being too absolute, too black and white. After all, nobody is perfect. We can shrug and make excuses or deny the wisdom of God’s ways altogether. We can make peace with sin, immorality, and injustice. We can even take our seat at the table of those who think our Christian ways are quaint and our ideals hopelessly naïve. Or we can find comfort and strength to live rightly in the one who walked the path of righteousness from birth to death. We can turn to Jesus.
Jesus allowed himself to become the victim of the wicked. He stood before the sinners and was subject to the derision of the mockers. He took our judgment upon himself so that we could be declared righteous. That’s how vast his love and how deep his mercy.
As believers, his Spirit lives in us and he will help us walk the right path. We do not resist the influence of the wicked on our own. He will give us greater and greater delight in the Word of God and we will be transformed. In season, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But sometimes we will still fail. Yet the Spirit is never impatient. He will gently convict us when we sin and forgive us. When we fall, he will help us up, dust us off, tend to our wounds and set us back on the right path.
Our roots will soak up our Lord’s divine strength and grace so that we can thrive in even the most hostile conditions. Our health and vitality, even in times of drought can be a testimony to the goodness of God. Perhaps some of those walking the wrong paths will be open to hearing what Jesus has done for them so they can join us.
Respond
How does Psalm 1 relate to where you are in your life today? Are you in a season of drought? Are you struggling against influences that would pull you away from God?
Spend some time with the Lord today in prayer. He loves to spend time with you. Praise him for watching over your way. Confess your sins and accept his forgiveness. Ask him to give you greater and greater delight in his Word and protect you from evil influences.
Commit to meditating on God’s Word through our Psalms series. Pray through the Psalm of the week every day. Try and memorize key verses. Allow the Word to nourish you.
The complete text of When God Makes No Sense: A Fresh Look at Habakkuk is available on Amazon. Bruce will donate all profits from the sale of his book this month to Christ Fellowship’s Love Fund to help those in need.