I’m so grateful that Pastor Peter chose to spend the month of May preaching through several Psalms. The Psalms provide a rich variety of responses to all of life’s circumstances and all that God has revealed about himself. Whether expressing joy-filled praise or heart-wrenching lament, gratitude or confusion, confidence in God or indignance at oppression—the Psalms have it all, and they give us vocabulary that both expresses the longings of our hearts while also shaping those longings to align more closely with God’s. 

Did you know that Psalm 1 acts as a kind of introduction of some major themes in the entire psalter? When we read it, our minds may be drawn to the contrast between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The psalmist mentions characteristics of each, along with results. Let’s think briefly about the characteristic of longevity or endurance.

To be like the righteous person, we must meditate on God's law constantly (v. 2). Meditation is more than merely seeing words on a page, but a repetitious reading and chewing on until the text becomes a part of the person. It's a frequent, regular occurrence. The righteous person isn't looking for the spiritual version of a get-rich-quick scheme but is interested in the wisdom God imparts over a lifetime of knowing him. Likewise, we shouldn't look for a solitary, emotionally driven, momentary experience of God; instead, we can find our delight in the daily routine of seeking God's instruction and his guiding presence.

This leads to longevity and success (v. 3), but note the presence of seasons. The tree doesn't bear its fruit constantly, but only in its season. Even though it's engaged in important, life-sustaining processes at other times of the year, it doesn't see the fruit of this labor until the appropriate time. The righteous person, likewise, needs to endure through barren seasons to continue seeking the Lord, knowing that, in the end, God will establish and plant him or her to be able to stand strong (contrast with v. 4 & 5). Ultimately, we can find comfort and joy in the fact that God watches over our ways (v. 6), not as a mere observer, but as a good shepherd (John 10:1–18).

My prayer for each one of us is that God will increase our desire and ability to meditate on his perfect law at all times, even those when the pages of the written Word aren’t open in front of us.