Psalm 1:1-2
Psalm 1:1 (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;
Psalm 1:2 (ESV): 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night
Abba,
Blessing…
Happiness and Favor.
Our very way of life is founded upon and built around the “right” for man to pursue happiness.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
We spend our waking days in this pursuit. Though we may not always be conscience of it; though we may not always have full cognitive awareness; this is the thing that most of our days are spent running after. We want to be happy. We want to know abundance, comfort, pleasures. We want to know the favor of another. We are pursuing happiness….in something.
But Abba, what exactly are we running after in the pursuit of happiness? What are we placing our hope in to satisfy the deep yearning of our souls? What are we looking to?
I fear too often we are running after things that cannot and will not bring the happiness and blessing we were created for.
Too often the things we run after fit in the categories of,
The counsel of the wicked
The way of sinners
The seat of scoffers
I fear that the sparkle of the immediate outshines the radiant splendor of the eternal.
The anemic pleasures of the now appear larger than the vast riches of glory.
We are too often deceived.
Too often do we run after false promises, empty claims, deceptive lies, vain wisdom.
Too often do we look to the wrong things.
We crave happiness. We yearn for blessing. We ache for joy.
And we erroneously look to this things of this world, of this life to satisfy a deep yearning that cannot be satisfied here.
One only has to look at the world, Abba, to see the emptiness.
When I take a serious and honest look, I don’t see happiness.
I see brokenness, pain, grief, loneliness, and vanity.
I see vain attempts to fill the emptiness that was intended to be satisfied by You.
I see defiant and arrogant fist shaking, a firm determined resolve to find a happiness that does not include you.
And I see failure to find happiness in the immediate.
The eternal is forgotten and overlooked.
Blessed is the man…
WHO WALKS NOT….
WHO STANDS NOT…
WHO SITS NOT…
In the counsel of the wicked, in the way of sinners, in the seat of scoffers.
BUT….
Who delights in the law of the Lord
And who meditates on it day and night.
True blessing is not found in the things of this created world.
Creation is a shadow
Creation is a road sign
Creation is a reflection
Intended to direct our gaze to heaven, to our creator, to our God.
To you!
Oh the beauty of your name!
Oh the kaleidoscope of wonder are you!
The beauty of your law…
As it exposes the nature and character of you who established it
With all it’s protections and hedges to keep us
As the roadmap to an abundant life in you!
Infused with hope and promise of your exposed and revealed purpose and will!
Overflowing with the depths of your love, the endless grace, and the vastness of mercy.
As it reveals the just, holy, righteous nature of one who knows no fault or weakness
Is glorious indeed!
The danger present is when we listen to the wrong voice.
Our emotions, our flesh screams at us, demanding appeasement.
The false promises of the “counsel of the wicked…the way of sinners…the seat of scoffers…”
ignore the one great truth the world attempts to shut out.
look no further than this temporal plane.
reject YOU, Abba.
Those false claims promise easier and more lasting happiness than the ways you offer. The lies of the adversary seek to convince us that, at the very least, happiness can be found easier in these cheap counterfeits than in the real deal you offer. At this greatest extreme, those same lies tell us that what the world offers is GREATER than that which is offered from the hand of our divine creator and God.
The danger we face is that truth appears as the lie when placed next to the emotions that rage through us.
Truth is the one who seems to be the great manipulator and liar when our emotions and flesh scream so loud.
Against this tide, we must resist
May we not scratch at the itch with the false promises of this world to satisfy it.
Rather, may we run to you, our refuge and fortress.
May we hear and cling to truth over the scream of feeling and by faith hold to truth!
Abba, may we not run to lesser things.
May we see your open arms and come running.
May we not be fooled by the lie of temporal
May we not reject the eternal where our true joy and blessing lies!
Oh the lies that we listen to.
True blessing, true happiness is not found here.
In our pursuit of joy, of happiness, of blessing…Oh Abba, may we heed this warning, this truth.
It is a fools errand to pursue happiness from these sources.
Grant our hearts a deep, abiding, and satisfying joy in your word; in the law of the Lord.
May it consume our hearts and minds daily.
May we take joy in meditating on it.
May we sacrifice other delights and pleasures, casting them aside as lesser things, and claim the riches and joys prepared for us by the hand of a loving creator who feels the aches of our hearts and whose presence provides the very riches we seek.
Abba, oh yes, Abba….may we come. Let us delight in you!
A Singular Passion 