How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)
This scripture means a great deal to me. When I was 21, my father and step-mother gave me a poster, showing a young man reading his Bible, with a look of reflection on his face, as if he were in deep thought.. In the background of the poster were the words to Psalm 1. I’m not quite sure what happened to that poster in the many times I’ve moved since. But I can vividly remember something that happened a few years ago, relating to that poster..
During my morning devotion, I was in somewhat of a spiritual wrestling match with God. Guess you could say I was in “complaint mode”. I was complaining to God that it wasn’t fair, how my morning quiet times were always so special, how He always blessed and my day always started out so well. But then as my day wore on, I felt drained and dry and battered about. And by the time my day was over, I felt like God was nowhere around.
Then God reminded me of that poster. What did that psalm promise? That if I’d truly meditate on God’s Word day and night, I’d be like a tree, with leaves that never wither? To be quite honest, even when the Lord reminded me of that poster and that psalm, I still objected, telling Him I really didn’t see how that was possible. God, how can I really think about Your Word day and night? There are so many other things always demanding my attention. Then I heard that still small voice challenging- Are you saying it’s not true? I had to admit to God- No, Your Words are always true, I’ve simply never acted on them.
I was reminded of what Jesus did in the wilderness, when he was tempted by the devil. I’d always thought of that story in the wrong way, as if Satan were actually standing there in the flesh tempting Jesus. It’s highly more likely Jesus was tempted like you and I are, with evil, foolish thoughts coming to us out of nowhere. If Jesus was tempted in all things as we are, then it only makes sense he was also tempted in the same way we are. But more importantly, how did Jesus respond to these temptations? He always replied with God’s Word.. Thinking of that truth made me reflect, what if I memorized scripture, put the Word of God down inside me, so when foolish thoughts hit me, I reply the same way?
From then on, I’ve tried my best to make meditating on God’s Word my main priority. I’ve learned by practice and experience, you can digest scripture and reflect on it over and over, to the point where it becomes part of you. I find myself thinking about scriptures on the drive to work, walking down the hallway, as I wake or drift off to sleep.
I find myself seeing things in scripture I’d never seen before. The Holy Spirit has a way of illuminating each verse, expanding its meaning. The fact is- putting scripture inside your heart really does make a difference, not only in your daily walk, but in your devotional time as well. Now I don’t just read my Bible. I read, meditate and digest it. It’s not a duty, it’s a privilege.
