In Need of Refreshment?

Are you feeling rested and refreshed? Me neither. We are constantly on the move. Keeping busy at work. Rushing from one activity to the next at home. Squeezing in brief moments to do the laundry or buy the groceries. Struggling to find time for home improvement projects. We wear ourselves out trying to keep all the plates spinning before any of them hit the ground.  Who among us wouldn’t love a day with nothing to do? A weekend away to recharge and refresh?  Oh well… maybe next month!  Just kidding. School ends next month. Summer starts. Maybe we’ll find that rest that always seems to escape us in August.
 
The Psalm for this upcoming Sunday is the very first one. It also happens to be one of my favorites. It is an invitation to stay spiritually rested and refreshed. The first psalm deals with how we can be blessed, how we can be in a rested and right relationship with God. It separates the world into two categories—the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are those who are right with God, while the wicked are not. The difference between the two is in where they are planted. “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.” 
 
The wicked are described as living and working in evil. They walk in guilt, take their stand on wrongdoing, and finally plant themselves in pride (Psalm 1:1b). They believe this way of life will make them thrive, but it only leads them to wither and die. That is why the wicked are described as chaff. Chaff is the worthless and dead part of a stalk of grain that is easily blown away by the wind (Psalm 1:4). They are like the springtime dandelion fuzz we see all around us right now—destroyed with a single breath. But the righteous are pictured as a healthy, fruit-bearing tree because they are planted by a stream of water (Psalm 1:3a). They are not chasing what they think will make their lives thrive. Instead, they are resting in what God says will make them thrive–God’s law (Psalm 1:2). The “law” refers to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. For us today, we understand this also as the entirety of the Bible.  This psalm tells us that meditating on God’s Word brings life and thriving. Being blessed—or prospering as this psalm calls it—is to be by the stream, is to be actively and regularly immersed in God’s Word. This tree always has healthy leaves and puts out its fruit in season because it constantly draws nourishment from the stream. He or she prospers because they're living a life informed, comforted, challenged by God’s Word. The wicked wither because they aren’t connected to the source of life (Psalm 1:5). The righteous flourish because they are deeply rooted.
 
Our lives are unbelievably distracted. We are always busy. We are experts at multi-tasking, surfing, and skimming.  But it has become harder than ever to meditate. This seems to be true, especially in this part of the country, where intentional rest and slowing down is viewed as a waste of time. We’ve got to keep up with the Joneses. We can’t give up one inch. Therefore, it is imperative to intentionally cultivate meditation on God’s Word.  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.”
 
“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” (Psalm 62:1)

Inspiration taken from various related devotionals I found online.