Reading: Psalm 1
Reflection: The opening of the book of Psalms is an invitation to reject any so-called wisdom or way of being that does not align with God’s goodness. The reason is simple: following what the Psalm calls wickedness leads to destruction, a deeply broken life, and a deeply broken world. On the other hand, when we embrace God’s law, the wisdom and way of being that God seeks for us, the consequence is very different.
We experience life, restoration, and fruitfulness. While this Psalm seems to make the choice all too easy, there are other Psalms of lament in which things are clearly not as easy as they seem here. Good people do suffer. Sometimes, living God’s way of grace and love does not lead us into deeper connections and a more peaceful life. Sometimes, we can embrace beauty, truth and goodness, and still find ourselves in conflict with others, in relationships that are breaking down, and in deep trauma or suffering.
This is why it is unwise to read any part of Scripture without considering the whole testimony of the Bible. Nevertheless, it does seem that, even when we experience great pain and grief in our lives, choosing beauty, truth, and goodness do seem to bring greater comfort, a greater chance for healing, and protection from bad reactions that just increase the pain.
Ultimately, we need to choose for ourselves what kind of life we want. Suffering will come to us all, but there is definitely a resurrection, and a resilience that God offers us if we are willing to trust that God’s ways truly are the most life-giving way to live.
Practice for Today: Psalm 1 speaks of meditating on God’s law day and night. While we may not be able to give this much time to reflection on Scripture, there is definitely value in regular Bible reading, especially when we read prayerfully and meditatively, opening ourselves to the voice of the Spirit to guide us as we read. Practice this prayerful Bible reading today.
Prayer for Today: I thank you, God, for your guidelines for the best human life, and I meditate on them today
Communion with Christ