Daily Reading
Daily Thought
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
In front of my childhood home grows a towering redwood, 60 feet high. It is beautiful and strong, a majestic tree. We planted two of these trees on our front lawn when my family moved into the house in 1973. They were 6 feet high then, and over the summer we watched as one grew and one did not. One seemed to find water, soak it in, delight in it, and so it flourished. The other did not, dried up, and died. Today I can point to the spot the other tree was planted, but there is no trace it was ever there.
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.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away. ~Psalm 1:3-4
I was a teenager in 1973, and prayer was difficult. Speaking to someone unseen felt odd. I repeated myself a lot and talked like King James, “Thee” and “Thou.” One day I opened the Psalms and was surprised by the words. They were words for me, the expressions I longed for, “Give ear to my words, O Lord” (Psalm 5:1), and “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers” (Psalm 8:3), and “I will fear no evil for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). I began to pray the Psalms, to walk with a Bible in hand and pray God’s Word back to him. God’s Word became my words, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10), robust words that declared my thoughts and desires. I learned to pray by praying the Psalms, to “delight in the law of the Lord, and on his law meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).
That man is described as blessed, a man who will grow like a tree planted by streams of water.
Daily Prayer
O Lord my God, early this morning I stop and wonder what this day will bring. What have You set before me? You prepare me to meet the wonders and challenges and opportunities and delights of this world as I read Your Word and delight in it. Fill my heart this morning with Your grace and truth. Give me wisdom, courage, and compassion so that all I do prospers me and those around me.
May I be strong in Your love today. Whether I meet friend or enemy, may my life express Your love. May I do what is good and right, may others be blessed, and may You be praised.
Amen
Daily Question
What are some of your favorite passages in the Bible and why are they favorites?