Day and Night

Psalm 1:1-3 - Part 2 (originally appearing in Psaltered, August 2021)

Planted by Streams of Water

(This is Part 2. Click Here to read “Happy Is the One,” Part 1 of Psalm 1:1-3.)

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Happy the man who has not walked in the wicked’s counsel

nor in the way of offenders has stood,

nor in the session of scoffers has sat.

But the LORD’s teaching is his desire,

and His teaching he murmurs day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water,

that bears its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither—

and in all that he does he prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3 (The Hebrew Bible: A Translation and Commentary by Robert Alter)

I was talking with a friend not too long ago about some struggles I'd been having, partly because he is my friend and cares for me, and partly because he was able to relate to those struggles himself. (I’m talking about sin, folks.) I wasn’t just looking to share my feelings. I wanted someone to pray for me, and I was hoping for some helpful wisdom. He gave me some wonderful advice.

Get into the word. Read it, listen to it, think about it, pray it, as much as possible, all throughout your day. As. Much. As. Possible.

He went on to explain that doing this himself has provided him with the most strength, the most relief, and the best defense against a very real enemy that seeks to trap him (and me and everyone else) in cycles of sin and shame. I took his advice to heart, my spirit bearing witness to what he was saying from his spirit, and I began to inundate my day with more and more scripture: reading (to myself and aloud), thinking, and especially listening to the word on Dwell.

Like a lot of people growing up in church, I was told to read my Bible and pray every day so I would “grow, grow, grow,” that the word of God was the “sword of the Spirit” with which I should fight my battles, and that God’s word is a “lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

All of these things are true, of course, and I’m very thankful that they are. What I didn’t understand until very recently, however, was that filling my heart and mind with God’s word would make me feel great about my life, my day, my relationships, and the world around me. That is what has happened to me, what is continuing to happen, and the Bible gives us clues as to why I’ve been happier,