I began a study of the Psalms this week and God’s word spoke some conviction my way that I have been feeling for a few weeks now.  Psalm 1 starts out:

Blessed is the person 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 on His Law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree 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, NASB

I had to really think about what it means to delight in God’s word.  I got to thinking about my motives for spending time in God’s word.  What drives me to my daily reading.? A sense of duty?  Is it because I have a group of accountability partners that I want to cheer on?  Or do I come because of the great pleasure and satisfaction I get from spending time in God’s word?  I so want to answer it is because of the great delight I find there.  And yes, I do find delight there.  But do I delight in it?  Do I long for God’s word like I long for a walk in my favorite woods?  Do I look forward to it as much as I look forward to some chocolatey treat?  Do I desire it as much as I do snow right now?  Is it consuming my thoughts?  Oh, I had to do some confessing to the Lord this morning.  And I have asked that He give me great delight in His word.  It is so easy to just go through the motions, but then I may find myself walking along and casting a glance in the direction of sin.  Then I may pause and stand there for a moment and finally I may even get to the point where I am willing to sit down in the midst of that sin.  Do you see that progression in verse 1 of this Psalm?  Walk, stand, sit.  Instead, I want to be among the blessed who are like trees planted by streams of water…living water.  I want to be fed by Jesus, the Bread of Life, the Living Water.  I want to bear fruit and not wither-unlike that fig tree Jesus encountered in Matt. 21:18–22.  I want to prosper, but not in the way of the world, rather to prosper in the way that God deems best for me.  My prosperity cannot be about riches on earth that will fade, but on those which are eternal.

And with all of that in mind I come back to today’s reading.  And it is the very last verse I came to that has given me pause.

“The wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.” -Proverbs 10:16

It fits doesn’t it?  Delighting in the law of the Lord brings life.  It produces fruit, its leaves do not whither, it leads to eternal life.  The polar opposite of the result of choosing to delight in sin.  So there is just one more thing I want to focus on and pray for; that I learn to not only delight in God’s word, but that I will meditate on it continually.  I don’t want to just read it and forget, as I am so prone to do.  I want it to stay with me throughout the day.  May God’s word truly be our delight and may we meditate on it day and night.

May grace, peace, and mercy abound, 

I could spend time today looking at “the woes” Jesus pronounces on the scribes and Pharisees.  There is good stuff there for me to consider about how not to live and how important it is to live out justice, mercy and faithfulness. (Matthew 23:23) These things are good.

The last few days have once again impacted me with the importance of prayer.  It can be a labor of love sometimes that keeps us awake through the watches of the night.  It may not have been such a “labor” if I had stopped fighting it and just gave myself over to prayer, which was clearly what God required of me.  This has happened to me on but a few occasions and I do not always see the outcome right away.  This was not one of those times.  My God is a God of healing and restoration.  He is the God who sees us.  The God who is full of compassion.  The God who is gracious and kind. The God of second and third and fourth and more chances.  He is the God who can soften the hardest of hearts.  And today I continue to rejoice as David did in Psalm 28.

Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the sound of my pleading.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart triumphs,
And with my song I shall thank Him.
The Lord is their strength,
And He is a refuge of salvation to His anointed.
Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.

May grace, peace, and mercy abound, 

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT)

Just stay calm.  The Egyptian army is bearing down on you, but just stay calm.  The NASB translation renders verse 14, “The Lord will fight for you, while you keep silent.”  I know myself well, I would be in a panic I am pretty sure.  Even when I don’t have an army bearing down on me I can get overwhelmed by a feeling of panic.  The LORD himself will fight for you.  These may be the words I need to write on the “doorposts” of my heart.  The words I need to see every morning when I wake and again as I lay down to sleep.  The God who parts the waters, the God who controls the winds and the waves, the God who has authority over death itself, the One who conquered the grave…this is the God who fights for me.  This is the One who keeps me calm when I fix my eyes on Him.  Remember Peter walking on the water?  God seems to keep reminding me lately that He is my place of rest and protection.  After all these years I still struggle to stay calm and let Him fight for me.

May grace, peace, and mercy abound,