Well, I have been, personally, just blessed and encouraged as I've been studying through the Psalms for this series. I feel like God has met me in very, very special ways; I hope he does with you too. I am going to give each one of these Psalms that we look at my own particular title, and we're going to start with Psalm 1, and my title for this Psalm is "God Wants You to Thrive."
I don't know if you have ever thought about this, but God is really committed to the thriving of the creatures that he's made in his image. You see this from the very first moments of creation that God puts Adam and Eve in this beautiful garden where they have everything that they need, and he says, "You go be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth; you thrive!" When God brought Israel out of slavery, he gave them his law; and this law was so they would know how to live so that they would thrive. God gave them the promised land, a land filled with milk and honey, so that they would thrive. God sent his Son to give us not just life, but life overflowing, life abundant. By his grace we thrive. And then we will finally be in the new heavens and the new earth where there will be no more sin and suffering, and we will live with our Lord and thrive forever and ever.
That's really what Psalm 1 is about, and it sets the tone for the rest of the Psalms by talking to us about where life, this thriving life, is to be found and where it's not to be found. Let me read for you:
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.
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.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1 confronts us with this temptation that all of us have to be increasingly comfortable with the counsel of those who do not offer life, who cannot deliver it. Maybe that's Netflix or Hulu or Instagram or Twitter or TikTok. You always have to ask yourself, "What counsel am I submitting myself to? What view of life is influencing me?" And there's this picture of growing comfortability: first we're walking with this kind of counsel, then we're standing, and then we've relaxed in, we're sitting, we're growingly comfortable with counsel that cannot give us life.
Where is life to be found? Well, according to the Psalms is to be found in God's law. For us that means God's Word. And the center theme of God's Word is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, how do I enter into this life? Well, Psalm 1 answers that question, "...by meditating in the Word." I mean, there are probably three steps of meditation. First, that means the study of that Word. It means then asking the question, "How does God's word then apply to my life, my situations, my relationship, my work?" And then, "What does it look like for me then to live that out?"
You know, the counsel of the world is not like that. This passage says it's like chaff that the wind just blows away. It's without purpose and is driven here and driven there.
I love how Psalm 1 ends, it's so sweet. It says, "The Lord knows the way of the righteous." God just doesn't give us his Word. He gives us himself with it, and his watchful eye and his loving care and his tender-hearted mercy. God knows your way. He knows everything about you. He knows everything you'll face today. He knows everything you're thinking, everything you're struggling with. And he says, "You come to me. You meditate in my Word. You listen to my counsel. I want you to thrive."
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Write down (or share with your group) a list of the voices that influence you the most. Consider the amount of time you spend listening to, watching, or engaging with, each one. Rank them, either by time spent or by the amount of influence you think each has over you. Include positive, negative, and seemingly neutral influences. Evaluate your list and pray over it; ask the Spirit to show you how you can be a better steward of your time and where you need to emphasize being influenced by righteous voices.
2. Identify an area of your life, or a specific sin, where you have become growingly comfortable with ungodly motives, words, or actions. Was there ever a time where you thought, "I would never do that" or "That could never be me"? How did you let your guard down? How can you get from where you are back to where God wants you to be? Be specific. What do you need to confess, and how can you ask for help?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children: Do you like rules? Did you know that rules are put in place so that you can be safe, happy, and have fun? Who makes the rules? Do the people who make the rules love you and want what is best for you? Are the people who make the rules bigger and stronger and smarter than you? What rules do you not like? Why do you think those rules are there? What dangerous or bad thing could happen to you if you didn't follow any rules?
For Older Children: Who has the most influence over your life? Create a list - friends, social media influencers, family, teachers, coaches, etc. Who do you listen to most on that list and why? Are any of those voices of influence foolish or harmful? Are any of those voices honoring to God? What did each of those voices say to you in the last week that influenced the way you thought, acted, or spoke? Are there some voices of influence that you need to cut out of your daily life? Why might that be hard to do?
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