Today is Day 28 of our 40 day journey through the season of Lent. Thanks for being here.
Day 28
Our Bible reading for today is Psalm 1: 1 - 4 ...
How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers!
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
In our text today, the Psalmist reminds us that the Bible is not only a text we should turn to when we need direction or wisdom from the Lord, but it is also a place of refreshing that we can visit at any time we need it.
Verse 1 tells us we will be happy, or blessed, when we delight in and meditate on the Word of God. If we do this, verse 3 says we will be “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season”.
However, as the Psalmist writes, in order to gain this deep refreshment for our souls, we need to "meditate" on God's Word. This means our time in the Scriptures cannot consist of a quick, flitting dash in and out. Like camels visiting a desert oasis, we need to drink deeply, taking our time to allow God's love letter to His people to soak in and saturate our hearts, minds, and souls.
Just as a tree’s roots reach down into the soil to find the source of refreshment, if we truly seek and love God, we will root ourselves deeply in Scripture and find the strength we need.
Submitting ourselves to His wisdom will keep us firmly rooted embedded in Him. Then, when trouble or doubt comes our way, we won’t be “like chaff that the wind blows away” (v. 4).
"When we ponder what God has given to us in the Bible, we gain nourishment that can lead to our bearing fruit that lasts." Amy Boucher Pye