Psalm 1: Meditating on God's Word

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 othe congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

 This psalm begins by passing blessings on those who 'meditate on the law of the Lord day and night.' After a long conversation with Robert tonight, this part of the psalm all but leapt off the page to me.

 

Is it just me, or is it extremely difficult to keep God the center of your life sometimes? Its something I've been struggling with lately---especially the idea of meditating on Gods word day and night. My interpretation of this passage is that the author does not mean to imply that every thought and every second of your entire life must be spent contemplating God, however I think that there must be a certain consistency and devotion towards taking the time to build your relationship with your Creator. If I spent half as much time working on my relationship with God as I did working on my earthly friendships and relationships, I have no doubt I would be less anxious and have a more clear vision of what God wants for my life.


No doubt I would be more fruitful in my own life as well.  ("he is like a tree planted by streams of water the yields its fruit....in all he does, he prospers).  I tend to think of someone who is always trying to be good, and do what is right.  It is exhausting sometimes, and often I find it difficult to JUST BE.  I find myself wanting to prosper and the harder I try, the less fruitful I think I am.  Because trying to do all things without God's help and control on my life is, essentially, a wicked behavior.


That being said, I am interested to hear what my readers view as 'being wicked'.  God makes it clear that the wicked will be judged but the righteous will prosper, but just what is it that qualifies as 'wicked behavior?'


Thanks for reading---I am exhausted and ready for some sleep now.

-RCC