“Day and Night” - Psalm 1 (Day 3)
Yesterday we reflected on an age-old question: Does God want us to be happy? And, we learned that He desires us to experience something deeper than happiness, which is largely circumstantial. God, in His gracious nature, created a way for us to take hold of unshakeable joy and lasting contentment - something the author of Psalm 1 refers to as being “blessed.”
Today, we want to take a closer look at what the “blessed” person does to feed and fuel their soul and how it makes their heart come alive with delight. Maybe, as you read these words, your heart is full of joy or, perhaps, it’s heavy, conflicted, or confused. Before we begin, share with God what’s on your heart and trust him with it.
As you read the words of the first two verses of Psalm 1, pay attention to the activity of the one God calls “blessed” - their habits, posture, and focus.
Psalm 1:1-2 says this:
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.
DELIGHT. When you hear this word, who or what comes to mind? Perhaps it's a song, your favorite show, or a good book. Maybe it looks like getting your hands dirty gardening, enjoying a delicious meal, or catching up with an old friend. Or it could be a breathtaking sunset, a hike in the woods, or watching the stars on the back porch. God doesn’t want us to feel guilty for loving these things, but to put them in their proper perspective and. position. He wants us to enjoy the gifts and allow them to move you to gratitude for the Gift Giver. Every good gift comes from him.
Take a moment to consider some of these gifts that you enjoy. Pray and thank God for allowing you to enjoy them!
There are things all around us that we take great pleasure in that give us feelings of happiness. What's interesting about the concept of delight is how it influences our perception of time and how we spend those moments. When we're doing something we love, we become so wrapped up in the experience that we often lose track of time. Time stands still, and we don't want the moments to end. And, when they inevitably do, they still consume our thoughts - we daydream and can’t wait until next time. We naturally gravitate toward the people, places, and things that spark joy within us.
So, it makes sense that in verse 2, the person who finds himself blessed is the one who "DELIGHTS in the law of the Lord and who MEDITATES on God's law DAY and NIGHT." This isn't a call to flex our Bible study muscle or win a spiritual discipline award for the length of our quiet time. Instead, this idea of delighting in and meditating on God’s law speaks to our mindset and our posture - and keeping God’s ways before us as we go about our day and letting it shape how we perceive and respond in every circumstance.
Something to note before we re-read the passage. Throughout the Psalms, writers used the phrase "the law of the Lord '' to describe all of God’s instructions, teachings, and ways found in the Scriptures- not just the religious law portion of the Old Testament or the do's and dont's of the Ten Commandments. To the writer of the Psalms, God’s instructions didn’t just tell us what we should do , they revealed to us who God is and what God is like! They showed us God’s character, and the character we are called to have as His image-bearers. We too believe that God’s words reveal God’s ways! So as we read our passage again, let’s replace the word “law” with the word “ways'' for emphasis.
Pay attention to what stands out to you this time as we read slowly. Psalm 1:1-2 says this:
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 “ways” of the Lord,
and who meditates on his “ways” day and night.
Filling our minds with God’s ways expands our heart and breathes life into our soul. As we reflect and meditate on Scripture, we encounter the depth of God’s love and faithfulness, gain insight on how to navigate the world around us, and begin to understand how our story collides with the epic redemption story God is telling through Jesus Christ and His Church. We get a taste of God’s goodness and want more. Later in the book of Psalms, we read that those who delight in the Lord, God will give them the desires of their heart (Psalm 37:4). So, as we begin to wrap up our time together, we want to provide you some space to respond to what we read and to what God is trying to say to you through it.
First take a moment to process these two questions… In what ways has the Bible been life-giving to you? In what ways has reading it felt like a duty?
Another question to consider over the next few days…How can reading Scripture become less of a duty and more of a delight?
PRAYER
Father God,
As we seek the desires of our heart, may we remember that You are our delight.
Give us a hunger and thirst for Your instructions - satisfy our every longing.
May we ponder Your love when we sit, when we rise, and when we go about our day.
Let Your Truth always remain on the forefront of our minds -
directing our steps, focusing our eyes, and compelling our actions. Amen.