Two Years Later...

So the itch to write has struck again, and here I am!  It's funny how seasons of life allow more free space in my mind to think more creatively but the desire to document those thoughts comes and goes.  Here lately, my mind has been a vortex of thoughts from things I've read, listened to, or sought out.  A few weeks ago in Sunday School, we were listening to RC Sproul and an overview of the Psalms which piqued my interest so much since Stephen and I were just a few days out from traveling to Nashville for the Getty 'Sing' Conference;  this particular conference was to be based on the Psalms.  Fast forward a few weeks and we are now on the backend of attending that conference and it was so rich, so intense and so inspiring!  I was challenged and encouraged by how the Psalms were penned by men inspired by the Holy Spirit conveying the realm of human emotion. I  so often don't know how to navigate my own emotions and can allow my flesh to map out my actions and thoughts simply by relying on how I feel towards or about something.  I can quickly leave the Truths of the God I love to follow the deceitfully wicked and selfish ways of my heart.  After spending time in the Psalms and worshiping the God who created me, formed my crazy emotions with great purpose, and the seasons to which these things take shape, my heart sang praises to Him who knew I'd need such a guide map as I begin to understand the importance of every single human emotion.

Psalm Chapter One has been where my heart and mind has fixated for several weeks now (actually prior to the conference).  And it has given me a lens through which I have viewed almost everything lately especially the place my emotions should be grounded.

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.  He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he prospers.  The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

Cade's Cove on family vacation is a peaceful reminder of Psalm 1.

The beauty of this chapter to me is the picture it creates in my mind of the Lord's provision through His creation.  I learn and understand most things best when I can "see" a picture of it.  I grew up going to the lake with my mom and dad on the weekends and I would sit at the front of the boat observing the scenery on banks.  One thing I remember so vividly is the trees that grew on the banks.  We are all very well aware of the growth water can produce for things that have need for roots to grow deep.  After years of the waves from boats, weather, and various changes of the land the water would wash away the dirt and land to which these roots would grow so deep into and the roots would be revealed.  The roots would be so deeply embedded and intertwined into the land with such thickness.  The picture in my mind is so vivid!

When I think on the enriching Truths in Psalm chapter one, this picture is the first thing I think of.  After years and years of being planted by the water, the strength of the tree is deep due to the nourishment its gets from an unending source of water; it is still affected by weathering around it but it still absorbs from the supply that strengthens the roots and yields its fruit in its season and prospers throughout the years.  

When we are meditating on the Law of the Lord day and night, our perspectives filter out the things that cause us to stand in the counsel of the wicked.  Our hearts and minds can fixate on the things that are honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute as Philippians 4 commands us to do.  How gracious of the Lord to keep our minds on Him and His ways.  As if that is not enough, He gives us His creation!  He gives us glimpses of Himself and if our hearts are fixated on Him, we are drawn to worship Him when we walk outside and see a gorgeous sunset, or a reminder of His promises through the display of a rainbow, or when we look into the face of people created in His image that display His goodness, mercy and grace!

Right above my house He reminded me of his faithfulness.

When you read in Psalm chapter one that blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked but meditates on the Law of the Lord, and that man will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, he will yield fruit in season and his leaf will not wither and in whatever he does he prospers, the desire for deeply rooted understanding and wisdom increase.  Does it make you want to sit and soak in His endless supply of righteousness as He equips you little by little, year by year, and thought by thought to yield and prosper? 

I hope and pray that if you find yourself reading this today, that your heart will be stirred to spend time absorbing the nutrients of God's Word.  I pray that it will take deep root in your life and yield a beautiful fruit in due season.  I pray that you prosper in His ways and in His Laws, because they are truly life-giving!

Ending a day at the beach He captivated me with his handiwork!

The skies truly declare the glories of God!