Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Psalm 1:1-4
“1 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, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night. 3 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. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.”
Understand:
In verses 2-3 we get a glimpse of what being firmly rooted in the Word produces. The storms of life might blow against a well-rooted tree, but because of its well-established root system, it will weather the storm.
In verse 4, we see a contrast: the wicked are described as chaff that’s blown away while the blessed are described as delighting in the LORD. Chaff is the non-fruit part of a grain plant, including the husks. It’s very light and is susceptible to being blown away in the wind. Chaff is how the psalmist describes the wicked. He’s saying they are nothing; certainty nothing we should fear or envy.
The book of Psalms is full of messages of those who thought too highly of themselves, those who come against God’s people with a vengeance. It’s the prideful and boastful who make life difficult for the righteous. The wicked wreak havoc on God’s people; so much so, it’s enough to make His people move into a dis-oriented state. But here in this opening psalm, the psalmist reminds God’s people…us…that the wicked are really nothing. Their power is like “chaff that is blown” by the slightest of breeze.
Compare that image with the power of God; the One who spoke and everything came into existence, who holds the stars in His fingertips. He is the One we find meaning and purpose in and He is the one who watches over us!
Apply:
Who is your confidence in today? Will you place your confidence in the hands of the God who is all-powerful? Tell Him your fears…tell Him the things you don’t understand and ask Him to give you a right perspective today.
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.