“Meditation is the life of religion, and practice is the life of meditation.”
–Thomas Watson
The pursuit of happiness is the constitutionally guaranteed right of every citizen of the United States of America. We love this right and the majority of us are pursuing this goal at a fever pitch. With so many people participating in this race to happiness you would think that someone would finally obtain it. But alas, it is an elusive prey that is being hunted. The reality is that no lasting contentment can be fashioned by our own hands.
Fortunately, God is fashioning for us a blessedness that is sure and available to all who will obey his word. The psalmist describes the conduct of the blessed person. These are his instructions:
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2, ESV)
Regarding this passage, John Trapp noted, “The psalmist says more to the point about true happiness in this short Psalm than anyone of the philosophers, or all of them put together; they did but beat the bush, God has here put the bird into our hand.” The bird that is in our hand or the key to blessing is simply found in our meditation on the Scriptures (law of the Lord). The Scriptures guide us away from the counsels of the wicked. They steer us from the way of sinners and prevent us from sitting down in the seat of mockers.
A consistent, daily meditation on the Scriptures will focus our hearts and minds on things that are spiritually enriching and edifying. The apostle Paul encouraged the Philippians to be very selective in what they thought about: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil. 4:8) It is axiomatic that the thought-life of a person will impact not only their environment but who they are as well. Therefore, the delight of our souls must be “the law of the Lord.” Is a scheduled ten-minute time of meditation sufficient? According to the psalmist, no. Rather he encourages us to meditate on the law “day and night.” Such a persistent focus on the Scriptures is accompanied by a promise:
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:3)
I hope that this year finds you growing more and more in your sustained meditation on the Lord. May you bear fruit in season according to this psalm. Have a blessed week and we will see you on Sunday.
Your servant in all faithfulness, but in much weakness,
Pastor Dale