Today I met up with a friend at Uni to read the bible and pray together. One-to-oneās are a fantastic encouragement; thereās nothing better than meeting up, opening the word and being public about it. We are so lucky to be able to do this freely in the country we live in.
This afternoon we read Psalm 1. When we first read through it I was like, āYeah, I know this.ā Oh how wrong I was! Thereās nothing quite like a kick in the guts from God, just to remind us how much there is for us still to learn!
The first thing that strikes me about Psalm 1 is that it is a Song. I just tried searching for it on YouTube for you guys, but it obviously isnāt a very popular one. Itās from the āScripture in Songā hymn book, not sure which oneā¦ It could be red, yellow or green. But the words are
āBlessed is the man, the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, blessed is that manā¦But his delight, by day and night… The wicked are not so for they are like the chaff that to wind blows swift away..ā
Ok thatās all I know. I know the tune though, does that count?
So the passage goes like this, Iāve included it so you all donāt have to go searching for it. Iām really only going to focus on a few things, because they were what struck me most from the passage.
ā1Blessed is the man
Ā Ā Ā Ā whoĀ walks not inĀ the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands inĀ the way of sinners,
Ā Ā Ā Ā norĀ sits inĀ the seat ofĀ scoffers;
2Ā but hisĀ delight is in the lawĀ of theĀ Lord,
Ā Ā Ā Ā and on hisĀ law he meditates day and night.
3Ā He is likeĀ a tree
Ā Ā Ā Ā planted byĀ streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
Ā Ā Ā Ā and itsĀ leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4Ā The wicked are not so,
Ā Ā Ā Ā but are likeĀ chaff that the wind drives away.
5Ā Therefore the wickedĀ will not stand in the judgement,
Ā Ā Ā Ā nor sinners inĀ the congregation of the righteous;
6Ā for theĀ LordĀ knowsĀ the way of the righteous,
Ā Ā Ā Ā but the way of the wicked will perish.ā
While reading this passage my friend and I really got the importance of spending lime with God by reading His word and speaking with Him.
Verse 2 says that the Godly manās delight is in the law of the LORD. How do you go about being a Christian? Do you view it as a task? As something that is taking away from your real enjoyment of life? I know I really struggle sometimes. I think the way I think about this verse in my life is through how I go about reading my Bible and just spending quiet times with God. I really struggle, I feel so much better on days when I do spend time with God, but I always put it way down on my priority list; itās almost like I put it off because itās too hard! Itās definitely something Iām praying about, how cool would it be to delight in God and meditate with Him day and night because we no longer see spending time with Him as a chore, but just as a regular part of life (just like spending time with your friend each day!)
If we continue onto Verse 3 the Psalmist talks about being like a tree planted by streams of water. This I guess is a bit of the application of Verse 2. I donāt know, maybe. My friend suggested something today that I really had never thought about before. She mentioned the story of Jesus at the well with the woman. She was there to draw water, He offered her water that would forever quench her thirst. What about if we apply this water (Life giving water) to the stream in verse 3. We should root ourselves by the stream of life. We should continue to draw from this source of life-giving water and in time we will grow and mature, bearing our fruit in season. How tempting does that sound?
I guess after today Iām beginning to see my quiet times not as a task anymore, but as something to benefit me. Sure itās not going to be easy and Iām probably always going to struggle with my discipline towards this, but is it beneficial? HECK YES IT IS!
I pray that you all will delight in our LORD as you continue to draw water from His stream of life.
From my heart to yours
Anna
This is Me 