Today’s Scripture: Psalm 1
Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked!
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Today’s Devotional
Five whole days of Psalm One! Don’t worry, we’ll move on next week.
I have a feature on my Google Maps that allows people I choose to see where I am. I’ve turned this feature on for Robin and Logan. That means that they can see on a map exactly where I am (or at least where my phone is). At first I was a little creeped out by this feature. But the more I’ve lived with it the more it makes me feel safe. Someone knows where I am. Someone knows the path I’m on. Someone knows how far away from home I wander.
The last verse of this Psalm has that same feeling. “The Lord watches over the path of the godly.” Planting our roots in God – mediating on God’s Word – opening ourselves to loving union with God means that God watches over our path.
The Hebrew language here is even more intense than “watches over”. The Hebrew word is the word “knows”. God knows our path. It’s a very intimate word that at times is even used for sexual intimacy between people.
The Psalmist is reminding us that God is not some far off thing that has nothing to do with us. Instead, God knows us – is intimate with our ways – knows the path that we are on and watches over us. When we feel alone – truth is we are not. We need to trust that God knows.
Today’s Prayer
Thank you God for having your eyes on us. Thank you for being intimate with us and following us on our path. Help us to trust in you as we make our way in this world.
Amen
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