Psalm 1
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
CONSIDER THIS
So, here’s a Bible verse that’s always bugged me. In Matthew 5:45 Jesus states, “[The Lord] causes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
When I was in the seventh grade, we moved from Southern California to Southern Mississippi. Culture shock, to say the least! I used to laugh at all of the Southern folklore, especially the ones concerning the weather. An ache in the joints of my elders indicated rain was soon to come. If the sun was shining on a rainy day, this somehow indicated the devil was beating his wife. I couldn’t forget these sayings if I tried. I also can’t forget the smell of summer rain in Mississippi. My uncle used to say, “You can smell when it’s coming.” And even though water doesn’t have a scent, that saying actually proved to be true.
There’s some interesting science behind our ability to smell rain. Petrichor, the pleasing aroma we smell, comes from a bacteria in the ground that the rain whips up. Turns out we have a neurological response to the chemicals this releases, creating a sense of calm for many and triggering nostalgia for others.
Let that sink in for a moment: Our bodies were designed to receive with joy, something that God always had, and will always have intention to give.
I think this is how blessing works. God has always been the Father of lights, with good and perfect gifts stemming from his good and perfect nature. And before the beginning of time, before you or I were an earthly thought, we were heavenly designed to receive these gifts. We were not created to be the main characters of a viscous story, clawing for a sense of worth or meaning. Far from it! We were created from the joy of another, for the joy of another. Since the planning phase of creation, you were designed to be blithely compatible with the promises of God.
The trouble comes when we disconnect from the narrative. Much like the brothers of Luke 15, we all tend to see the gifts of the Father as the point of the story rather than a part of it. Think of what the father says to the disgruntled older brother: “’My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours’” (v. 31). The older brother was frustrated because his dad wouldn’t reward him for his laborious obedience. “Give me a goat to go celebrate with my friends” sounds like a reasonable request when you compare it to the demand of the younger brother. This is one of the saddest consequences of removing the Father from his rightful place as the main character of the story. We’re left to compare ourselves with each other, and self-righteousness robs us from seeing the blessing we were designed for. Comparison truly is the thief of joy.
The elder son saying: “Give me a goat so I can celebrate with my friends” is embarrassingly trivial when compared to the Father saying: “I’ve given you everything to celebrate with me.”
I believe the blessing that God is inviting us to is that our stories would begin to look more like his. The main character in his rightful place; his gifts abounding as a part of the narrative, but not the point. I wonder if we have eyes to see blessings as the Father defines it. Do we see our stories bursting with streams of water, trees producing fruit alongside leaves that don’t wither? Jesus says the Father is pouring out his blessings on the righteous and the unrighteous. If we are justified by faith as Paul claims in Romans 5:1, then I suppose the “righteous” are not those who earn the rain, but those who simply acknowledge the source of it.
That sounds like a healthy lens. I pray today you have eyes to see.
THE PRAYER
Jesus, thank you for entering into our story. Thank you for the grace that invites us into yours. Help us to see you as the main character of our lives. That in all things, you might receive glory, in all things we might delight in you. Amen.
For the Awakening,
Lo Alaman
Subscribe to get this in your inbox daily and please share this link with friends.
One Response
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked.”
“I believe the blessing that God is inviting us to is that our stories would begin to look more like His.” –Lo Alaman (For that to happen we need to get in step with the Spirit. If you keep in step with the times, you’ll spend your time staying out of step with God’s Spirit.)
Let God’s Spirit
Set your pace
So His grace
Can lead you
To the place
He wants you to be.
Every Spirit-led step that you take leads you closer to God. If you are seeking to follow and obey the risen Jesus, step it up! If not, step up to the plate so you can “taste and see that the Lord is good”! Step back from your desires and plans so you can step forward in God’s Spirit.
When people walk in the Spirit, thery are like a tree planted by streams of water. There’s a spring in their step. Christ’s rivers of living water overflow from within them.
When people offend you and step on your toes, step up in God’s Spirit to bless them and show them His kindness. Step back from your pride and you’ll step forward in God’s Spirit. Watch for Christ’s steps and follow them!
A Spirit-led journey begins with a single Spirit-led step. Take a first step today. To walk in the Spirit, take one Spirit-led step after another, day after day, until you grow from a Spirit-led-toddler into a Spirit-led-mountain-climber.
You learn to take Spirit-led steps by stepping out to obey the promptings of God’s Spirit. Count the steps that truly count. How many Spirit-led steps will you take today?
(Refuse to stay stuck in box steps when God is calling you to walk in the Spirit. Remember that Jesus will be working in and through you every Spirit-led step of the way!)
Let your shoes
Be led by the Spirit.
Begin to choose
To follow God’s
Inner cues.