Psalm 1 (NKJV)
1. Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
When I first read this Psalm, it was verse two that first stood out to me, because it has been on my heart lately to really spend much more time in the Word. I want the blessings that come from focusing on and studying the Bible. I want to know many verses by heart. I want to be able to minister to others on the spot by encouraging them with verses or defend my faith, if need be. I want to have the verses easily spring forth from my lips. This can only be done by knowing the Bible, by studying it and memorizing it.
But as I focused more on the Psalm, in preparation for today's post, it was verse three that really spoke to me.
How incredible it is to know that I was planted by God. He chose me, picked me, planted me, cared for me and He continually waters me through His word. And what a wonderful promise to know that I can withstand all the trials that come my way. My roots run deep. I will not be uprooted nor will I wither in the heat. My leaves will always be green and I will bear much fruit....... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
There are a couple of other verses related to Psalm 1, which I have referenced below.
Jeremiah 17:8
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Ezekial 47:12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."
Military life can definitely pose challenges at times. We know that at anytime we can receive orders and we will have to pack up our house and move onto another location. There are certain times where we know that my hubby could be deployed to Iraq. On Friday, we received word that he may be selected to cross train into another career field, which would mean a move and a job given to him that could require deployment. The thing is, to be honest, I have yet to really worry about any of it to a point where it truly stresses me out. When my hubby came home on Friday and told me about the cross training, he was very worried about it all. And I just kept telling him that everything will be okay. Everything will work out. We will be fine. And really and truly, I believe that deep within my heart. God already knows where we will be and what will happen. So, there is no reason to worry. I mean, He is God. The Bible tells us to not be anxious about anything, but to pray about it and to also have that faith in God that He will take care of us.
My roots go deep. The hurricanes may come and they may shake me, but I will continue to stand firm. Droughts may come, but my leaves will not wither. Did you notice in the verse from Jeremiah that it states not to be anxious in the time of drought? The more I stay in the word and the more I hold onto God's promises, the less likely I am to have that tendency to worry or be anxious. The Word is the water that keeps my leaves green and that helps me to flourish. Which brings me back to verse two and how important it is for me to focus on His word day and night.
I hope that you all enjoyed your time in the Psalms this week and that the reading was a blessing to you. For next week, we will look at two Psalms which are related..... Psalm 2 and Psalm 110.
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