rooted or blown

Opening Prayer: 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 the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6

Journal: How does this Psalm describe your life these days?  What image is more descriptive of your life, a tree planted, or chaff that the wind drives away?  How does rootedness come about in the spiritual life?

Reflection: Rooted or blown; two very different realities.  And yet, two very familiar ways of being.  Which one seems more descriptive of your life these days?  For me, I supposed it depends on the moment.  I can be cruising along, feeling rooted and connected and like all is well with the world one minute.  And the next, boom!  I am totally blindsided by a mood or a circumstance or a conflict and everything changes.  In the blink of an eye I am no longer rooted, but helplessly blown about by the winds of circumstance.  And, to be brutally honest, it doesn’t take very much to make it happen.

     Oh how I long for a life of faith that is more rooted, a life that has more strength and permanence and durability to it.  A life that is more grounded and centered and less susceptible to the winds change.  But how on earth am I to get there?  Luckily I am not left in the dark.  The psalmist comes quickly to the rescue with a practice that can help my heart and soul become more rooted—meditation.

     Meditation is the activity that can make me more like a tree planted by the stream and less like chaff blown around by the wind.  Meditation is the practice of reflecting upon the word of God in such a way that it takes on a life within us.  In meditation we take a word or an image from the scriptures and we repeat it over and over again—in our mouths, our hearts, and our minds—giving it space and time to speak to us and to find its home in us.  Meditation is a way of being with God that allows our roots to sink down deeply into his heart and his character in a way that roots us in his love and in his truth.  It is one of the practices of prayer that help our lives to be centered on him, rather than blown around by on our own circumstances.

Prayer: Respond to whatever God is stirring within you from Psalm 1.

Closing Prayer: Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

     But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. (NLT)