Psalm 1: A Leaf That Does Not Wither

Psalm 1:1-3 says:

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

Or stand in the way of sinners

Or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in season

And whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.”

There are a couple things about this passage that really stuck out to me.  First of all, the idea that we can be planted by streams of water that never dry up and have leaves that do not wither...that’s pretty amazing to think about.  I know that I have gone through some serious desert times, and I think everyone has.  It seems like we hear nothing from God and our faith is going nowhere.

It seems to me that having our delight in the law (or the Word) of the Lord is a choice.  We often associate happiness or joy as things out of our control that come to us.  However, we must choose to take delight in God’s Word.

The other part of this passage that stood out to me was the fact that this tree yields its fruit in season.  Here is where the seasons of life come in, when the harvest seems small and the work seems great.  Our leaves or our faith do not wither, but just as God created the seasons for the trees to bring forth fruit, it will be at the beckon and leading of His Spirit that causes us to bring forth spiritual fruit in our lives.  It is in His time and plan that our righteousness and faithfulness show themselves plainly.  However it is our choice to remain close to Him, firmly planted by His streams of living water.

God has been convicting me lately of my lack of delight in His Word.  I do not spend NEARLY enough time reading and soaking in the things that are written in the Bible.  This is something that needs to change in my life.  Is this something that needs improvement in your life as well?