I remember
back in the 70’s learning this Psalm as one of my first songs of praise, I sang
it with others at a small bible study meeting when I had just graduated High
School. The symbolism of the words and phrases
suggests a life based in purpose, and a desire for God’s ways.
It starts
off with “what delight” or “blessed” is the one who follows God’s ways. Another word for “blessed” is happy, there is a sense of happiness or joy that comes to one who
follows God’s ways, not because he strives to follow God, but because there is
an interaction taking place between God and the follower, it is a sense of pleasure
that God gives to the one who pursues Him.
As God begins this process of
drawing the persons' desire to walk with Him there comes an awareness that
things which used to draw the attention of the follower have changed, there is
an ever-increasing desire to avoid things which are not founded and shaped by love. Sin loses its appeal and well as
interacting with those who still are caught by it.
Psalm 1 continues “His pleasure and passion is remaining true to the Word
of “I Am.”" This isn’t just being
faithful to the bible which is good, but being faithful to the word that God speaks to one’s
heart, and “meditating day and night on the true revelation of light.” I can’t begin to tell you how many hours of
reflection and meditation I have spent desiring and seeking the presence of the
Lord, even this morning I am pursuing the Lord early so that my day will be
filled with the knowledge of Him and His desire and favor for me.
That is one thing that never changes throughout
the life of a Christ-follower is this consistent desire for the Lord and pursuing
His presence in our lives. It has proven
to be my passion and pleasure to seek the Lord and remain true to the words He
gives me every day. I have found
that as I seek the Lord, He has always taken the time with me each morning to
remind me of His love for me and how much He takes pleasure in my desiring to
know Him despite how I may feel, He always remains faithful to bring His
revelation and light to me every day.
In our pursuit
of Him we are described as “standing as a flourishing tree planted by God’s
design,” it is never all about us, but always about Him and His desire for us. That is where we stand as a flourishing tree,
we are fed by streams which water us by “brooks of bliss.” His peace always follows us as we pursue after
Him, that is the wonderful exchange that takes place as we desire the Lord, we
are drawn to His peace which transforms us and prepares us for our
day.
It says that
“we bear fruit in every season of life,” no matter what befalls us we have that
assurance that God is always with us no matter what. As we pursue Him, His grace
and mercy pursue us revealing that the Lord has always
been with us from the very beginning and it is His mercy (tenderness of heart) that keeps us coming back, and His grace (kindness and favorable influence) that sustains us.
“We are
never dry or fainting” because we are firmly planted by the brooks of water
which water our spirit. The life of a tree is always about what resides inside of the tree and where it is planted, if the tree has a
resource of nutrients that come from the soil which build the tree then it
never has to be concerned for the life-giving flow is coming into the
tree. As long as we are connected to the
source of our supply (much like the tree) the life-giving flow is at the center
of who we are.
The Psalm
says “we are ever blessed, ever prosperous,” we have the life of Christ which flows
through us to conform us into the mind of Christ, we are endowed with every
spiritual blessing possible because we are connected to an endless supply of an
ever-flowing stream that will not stop.
“Every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our
wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us
wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!” Ephesians
1:3 (TPT)
Our
delight or happiness is centered on Jesus and His love for us as we experience
the depths of His love daily being connected to Him and receiving what we need
for the day.
“So we are convinced that every
detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect
plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been
called to fulfill his designed purpose. For he knew all about us before we were
born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son.
This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters
who will become just like him.” Romans 8:28-29 (TPT)
Be Blessed;
Stephen
Barnett
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