A little over two weeks ago we read The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree together and we learned that a patient, kind, and hard-working Gardener plants us for the sheer pleasure of it, and is committed to cultivating each of us into an abundant, fruitful, fig tree—even if, at the moment we seem barren, stubborn, and even wasteful.
A little over two weeks from now, we will begin the season of Lent, which will help us remember just how “hard working” that Gardener truly is, and the lengths He will go to in order to turn our barrenness into blessing, and our fickleness into fruitfulness.
Today, however, we find ourselves somewhere in the middle—both literally and figuratively. Notice too, that while in the in-between, we always find ourselves bookended by a gracious, generous Gardener—who not only prepares the soil and plants the seed, but who persistently and patiently delights in our growing up. Because maturity in God is our end: full, abundant, eternal life, both now and forever.
But, as I am sure you may have noticed, sometimes being in the middle makes it hard to know where to start… So then, how do we make a beginning?
Enter Psalm 1.
The psalms are honest admissions and admonitions, vivid descriptions and prescriptions, candid confessions and professions of life in the middle. They speak the open secret of life-with-God-with-us. And today, we catch a glimpse of where to start and how to begin with Psalm 1, which begins the entire book of the psalms with the following words:
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers. – Psalm 1:1-3
Father, we pray today for a delight in Your law, not as burdensome, not even as a mere juridical or legal code, but as the way things really are, and the blessedness of life-with-You. Keep us from taking wrong turns and lead us back if we do. Help us grow up, help us bear fruit, help us prosper in ways that actually matter. In the days, weeks, and months ahead, may we see more and more how much You love us, care for us, and are for us, both in season and out of season, in fruitful seasons and not-yet seasons. We love You. We trust You. And, we know Your ways are best, because we know that You love us. Amen.
- Chaz H.