Today’s reflection comes from Spencer Tamming, our growth and communications director and a member of our year-round staff.
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 fruits in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly or the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:1-6
There is a lot we can take from this verse, but here are a few thoughts as a focus in on verse 2 and the promises the psalmist makes for those grounded in the law of the Lord.
They are like a tree, planted by streams of water.
If a tree is far from the river and relies on the sporadic rainfall to feed it, it won’t survive long. In the same way we, as believers, need to be saturated in the Word of God. This means reading it regularly, memorizing passages, wrestling with difficult verses and seeking it as the source of truth.
They are like a tree which yields its fruit in season.
I love this quote from John Piper about this verse:
“O for more fruitful people! You know them. They are refreshing and nourishing to be around. You go away from them fed. You go away strengthened. You go away with your taste for spiritual things awakened. Their mouth is a fountain of life. Their words are healing and convicting and encouraging and deepening and enlightening. Being around them is like a meal. This is the effect of delighting in the Word of God and meditating on it day and night. You will yield fruit in season.”
When we are in the Word we have scripture on our tongue for those that need it, we can think rightly about the challenges in our world, and ultimately we can know Christ better.
They are like a tree whose leaf does not wither.
Often trees, which prosper in season, go on to lose their leaves and wither away out of season… often because conditions worsen (such as colder weather). Unlike a withering tree, delighting in the Word of God gives us endurance in difficult seasons and perseverance in trials so that we flourish and yield fruit despite circumstance.
Whatever they do prospers.
When we delight in the Word of God we prosper in that we know God more deeply, better understand His plans for us and are given a blueprint for how to live rightly in the world.
Yours in Christ,
Spencer Tamming
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