Psalm 1 (ESV)
1 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;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 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.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Day 1: Loving God
Read: Psalm 1
Reflect:
Verse 2 says that the blessed person’s “delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” He doesn’t merely observe the law of God dutifully, though he surely does this, he delights in the law. It brings him joy. He loves the law of the LORD, so much so that he meditates on it day and night, throughout the course of the day, applying it to all that he thinks, feels, says, and does.
This is how the blessed person “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” (v. 3). This image may not resonate with us because we live in an area that has plenty of rain, so there are trees everywhere. But in the harsh, desert climate in which this Psalm was written, a tree planted by streams of water was a powerful image of enduring fruitfulness amidst the hardships of life. Because it is planted by a stream of water, the tree, though in a dry region, grows and bears fruit every season. Its leaf does not wither. In the same way, the blessed man who delights in the law of the LORD prospers in all that he does.
Recommended Song: “Christ Be All Around Me” by All Sons & Daughters (Find it on our church’s Spotify playlist, “Trinity Hymnal,” at http://bit.do/trinityhymnal)
Pray:
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Confess the ways in which you have delighted in the ways of the world rather than in the law of the LORD. Pray that God would increase your delight in His Word. Pray that you might pray more, and that you’d be able to abide in Christ more and more (John 15:1-17), like a tree planted by streams of water.
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Give thanks to God for all that He has done for you in Christ. Rehearse the truths of the gospel in your thanksgiving so that you might live in light of it.
Day 2: Loving One Another
Read: Psalm 1
Reflect:
The “blessed” person is known by the company he keeps: “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.” Notice the progressive degeneration of the wicked. First, one begins to walk in the counsel of the wicked. He starts to heed the counsel of those who call good evil and evil good. Their wicked counsel begins to sound plausible, even wise. Second, he stands in the way of sinners. He is no longer merely listening to their counsel, he now stands on their side and participates in sin. Third, he then sits in the seat of scoffers. He is no longer just standing among the wicked, he is now seated, settled in the ways of the wicked, so much so that he scoffs righteous and mocks the ways of the righteous. This is a frighteningly accurate description of how people turn from God to sin. In contrast, there is “the congregation of the righteous” (v. 5) of which the blessed man is a part.
Recommended Song: “Church’s One Foundation” by Norton Hall Band (Find it on our church’s Spotify playlist, “Trinity Hymnal,” at http://bit.do/trinityhymnal)
Pray:
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Pray that our church would grow in our love for, commitment to, and service to, one another.
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Pray that our church members would prioritize “the congregation of the righteous,” and see it not as an affinity-based club, but as a family knit together by the blood of Christ. Pray that our relation to the church would not be a form of consumerism, but of selfless participation.
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Go through our Church Membership Directory (https://trinitycamb.churchcenter.com/my/groups/trinity-cambridge-members/members), and pray that each member would abide in Christ like a tree planted by streams of water.
Day 3: Sharing the Love of Christ with Others
Read: Psalm 1
Reflect:
In stark contrast to the righteous who are like “a tree planted by streams of water,” verse 4 says, “the wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” This is an allusion to the practice of winnowing grain at harvest time. The farmers would take the grain that they harvested and toss them into the air with a pitchfork at the threshing floor, the heavy kernel, then, would fall to the ground, while the light chaff and husks will be blown away by the wind, thus enabling them to separate out the useful kernel from the useless chaff. The wicked, in this way, are lightweights. They are insubstantial and useless. It may appear that they have substance, weight, and clout in this world, but the reality is that their ways are futile and their future bleak. They will “not stand in the judgment … for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (vv. 5-6). How would your life change, if you really believed that your unbelieving friends and neighbors are about to be scattered to the wind like chaff and perish?
Recommended Song: “Grace and Peace” by Sovereign Grace Music (Find it on our church’s Spotify playlist, “Trinity Hymnal,” at http://bit.do/trinityhymnal)
Pray:
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Pray that God would deepen your faith so that you are truly convinced that the gospel is good news, and so that you are compelled by your love for God and neighbor to evangelize.
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Pray that the Holy Spirit would give us an accurate sense of the spiritual condition of unbelievers, so that our evangelism is marked by a sense of urgency and desperate dependence on God our Savior.
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Pray that God would make us bold and winsome witnesses among our friends and neighbors. Write down the names of unbelieving friends and neighbors that you know and feel called to pray for, and pray for them specifically.
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Pray for our Bridge Course and for unbelievers who have been attending it, that they would hear the good news of Jesus and entrust themselves to Him.
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Ask God for a physical building for our church in East Cambridge, which can be a permanent, stable location for worship and prayer.
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Pray that God would raise up teams of full-time missionaries from our church who would go to the unreached people groups to proclaim the gospel.
