WEEK OF

Prayer is one of the most important aspects of our walk with the Lord. So, to start this Easter week, we will be taking part in a Week of Prayer. Led by our Elders and our Staff, each morning we’re sending out an email with a devotion and theme that we’ll be praying for as a church. These emails will be opt-in only so make sure to click the button below to opt-in to daily morning emails throughout the week, or opt-in to daily morning text devotions. We’ll also be posting these devotions on our social media throughout the week! Our Week of Prayer runs from March 29th to April 4th and will culminate with a live devotion online and our Easter services here at the church.

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2021 New Year's Week of Prayer:

Final Day:

READ: Psalm 22

1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. 3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel. praises. 4In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8“He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” 9Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. 15My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. 19But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. 20Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. 21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. 22I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. 23You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. 26The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! 27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. 29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

DEVOTION - Pastor Ryan Marr

Psalm 22 tells the story of the infinite cost that God’s anointed (Psalm 2) will endure for those He loves. It brings into clarity that the “Holy One” will become forsaken and his rejection will become others’ salvation. Psalm 22 also shares the audience surrounding the “Holy One’s” death. The audience is one that is visible and invisible. The visible are those who are the ones whose fists and spears are piercing his flesh, while the invisible are those who surround him as prey. (Psalm 22:12). As Jesus fades into death he quotes Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus was claiming to be the Holy One of Psalm 22. This Psalm is foreshadowing the depth by which God would redeem a people that have rejected him.

APPLICATION

When the World Trade Center Towers were struck by a plane and the world was in shock, brave men and women ran into the compromised buildings at great cost to themselves in the sole hope of rescuing others. We call these people heroes – people who at great cost to their own lives, give it up to help others. This is the story of the Gospel. Jesus, at infinite cost to himself, became completely forsaken for us. I don’t know about you, but if I really stop and think about how much I am loved by Jesus despite my failures, that He would still rescue me. So when you find yourself beating yourself up from your own sins and thinking about the sins of others, remember how much you are loved. This love isn’t because of your heroic acts, but is because of Jesus’ cost. This love isn’t cheap or just a poetic rhyme, it’s action made visible. Jesus’ true love came at an infinite cost to himself. The Gospel is a beautiful story of God’s redemption of those who didn’t deserve it.

PRAY

Jesus, you were forsaken, insulted and despised for me. You, as a holy King, humbled yourself so that I could be lifted up. Jesus, help me to see how much you really love me. When I read Psalm 22 and I become overwhelmed by the weight you endured, help me to see the true depth of your forgiveness in my life.

Day Seven:

READ: Psalm 150

1Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

DEVOTION - Elder Phil Dickhaus

The entire writings of Psalms contain 150 chapters, 2,461 verses and over 42,700 words! Yet Psalm 150 is the shortest chapter, with only 6 verses, and a mere 78 words. Yet, its brevity seems so fitting. As we look back at the other chapters, we see it filled with the various writers’ responses to what was going on in their lives. In those writings, we see their trials, disappointments, persecution, sorrow, tears, temptations, illnesses, and frustrations. We see them in exile, captivity, war, pain and spiritual darkness. Yet, through those and more, we also get to see them experience the joy of knowing that God was with them… which resulted in triumph, rejoicing and songs of praise. And, in the end, that is what mattered to these writers… that they were able to praise the One who gave each of them the inspiration to write what they did… for us to read thousands of years later. How fitting an ending to lives lived, words shared, and wisdom given…. Praise the Lord.

APPLICATION

This past week, my wife and I have been going through an exercise, via a journal, of looking back at 2020… at things like the highs, the lows, the disappointments, and the areas of our lives where we’ve experienced the most growth, as well as the most challenges. As I’ve taken several quiet hours, at this point, to look back over an entire year, one can say that 2020 was not the ideal year to conduct such a review. However, I’m amazed as to what I saw looking back. Like you, I wasn’t “expecting the unexpected” that 2020 brought. However, now that I look back, I also can see His gentle leading, His comforting presence, His wise counsel, His strong protection, and His overwhelming grace. They were there whether I knew it or not! And for that, I’m grateful, and want to praise Him. Will you do that? Will you consider how His “acts of power” and “surpassing greatness” have led you through, and to, where you are now? The final verse tells us “let everything that has breath praise the Lord”. That’s you… and that’s me. To praise Him…. what a great response to such an amazing God.

PRAY

Lord, we have the joy of knowing you as our Creator, our Comforter, our Counselor, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Teacher, our Healer, our Encourager, our Sustainer, our Provider, our Protector, our Conqueror .. and so much more. As a result, our praise for you should not be limited to a Sunday morning, or simply a whisper when we recognize your presence. Your love for us is continual, as our praise for you should be. Will you open our eyes, daily, to your acts of power, and surpassing greatness, on our behalf? You have given each of us this very next breath that we’re about to take. We want to use it, and countless more, to give you the honor, the glory, and the praise that you are so rightly due. We appreciate you… we love you… we praise you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day Six:

READ: Psalm 73

1Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 3For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. 5They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. 6Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. 7From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. 8They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. 9Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. 10Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. 11They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?” 12This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. 13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. 14All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. 15If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. 16When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply 17till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. 18Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! 20They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. 21When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 23Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

DEVOTION - Pastor Niles Parker

Much of the bible deals with questions of the mind, answers to theological questions and method of church and doctrine, but the book of Psalms is often shifting focus directly to the hearts and emotions of men. Psalm 73 is no exception to this focus, as the Psalmist shares an honest and deep emotional problem of doubt, envy, discontent, jealousy and resentment. Most of these emotions and feelings are not ones that we are interested in addressing or in any way promoting. Often because we are scared to deal with them and the implications of them, or we are fearful of admitting them to God or others. We might say “God isn’t interested in my resentment, or my doubt of His goodness, He wants me to have faith and trust in Him”. Although God does call us to have faith and trust in Him always, our Father in Heaven does not turn his face from our pain, fears and emotions. Instead He implores us to bring them to Him, to commune with him about these things and to seek answers and comfort in Him.
 
The Psalmist is bringing these questions and problems to God and expressing his pain. He feels unsettled and on the edge of losing it all (v. 2). He sees the prosperity of the wicked and feels envy towards them (v. 3). He sees an abundance of blessing on those who might not deserve it (v. 4-9). He is feeling a personal level of trial and suffering, but doesn’t understand why it is happening to him (v. 13). All of this reveals a heart of doubt, a searching for answers, an inconsistency with what we see and what we know, a struggle of faith, a spiritual dizziness that most of us have probably felt one time or another.

APPLICATION

Even when we feel these things in our own life, we can be confident that God invites us to deal with them in His wonderful presence. There may not be answers to specific problems or a resolve to our trial. Pain may even continue to linger, but it is only in His sanctuary that his power is revealed to us (v. 17). The closer to his presence, the more we become aware of our weakness (v. 21-22), yet at the same time, we also become more aware of his goodness (v. 23). Although our hearts, minds, emotions and even our own bodies may fail us, we can have full assurance that God will never fail us. It is not for us to find enough cleverness to answer our doubts or strength to fix our pain – that rests in God’s hands. He will, however, provide for us and will never leave us (v. 25-26). So, let us draw near to him, experience his presence in our pain and weakness, trust in his power and love and watch His hand work in our hearts to make us whole (v. 28). As Jesus wept in the garden with anxiousness in his heart, he cried out to have this difficult cup to pass from Him, but ultimately, trusted in the Father’s will – looking ahead to being with Him in glory.

PRAY

God, I thank you that although I am weak, you are strong. In my doubts, you are my clarity. In my resentment and frustration, you invite me into your presence to feel comforted. I ask that you would continue to reveal in me doubts, resentment, bitterness, pain, frustration, envy and anything else that is my flesh; so that I can bring those things to you to heal me. May your words be imprinted on my heart and mind at all times so when I do feel and think these things, you are close to me and I to you. Give me confidence, not in myself but in you and your hand working in my life. I know I can trust in you, so I do. Amen.

Day Five:

READ: Psalm 42

1As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. 5Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. 6My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. 7Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. 9I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” 10My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

DEVOTION - Elder Tim Thompson

The Psalm starts with the comparison of how a deer pants for water, so our soul thirsts for the living God. I remember a mission trip to the Dominican Republic during the month of July. Due to an unexpected event on the first day, we had no drinking water on the job site. The heat of the Dominican sun beating down makes the humid, hot Floridian summer day seem rather mild and weak. Even sitting under a shade tree provided no relief. As thirst continued to build in our bodies, the desire to drink even contaminated water became a reasonable temptation. How far will I go and how much will I pay right now for a nice long drink of fresh water? As the hours ticked by, no price seemed too small for just a drink of water. This verse Ps 42:1, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” challenged me. Do I really desire God in my life like I desired a refreshing drink of water right now? How far will I go and how much will I pay right now to satisfy my soul’s desire to be with God?

APPLICATION

Many times, I let something else distract me from fulfilling my soul’s thirst of God with God alone. Many times I fill my time with a TV show, or a sporting event, or hanging out with people, or web surfing, or… While none of those other activities are inherently wrong or sinful, why do I attempt to satisfy my soul’s thirst with something else other than the true living God?
 
Later that day, fresh, clean drinking water had arrived on the job site. Not only did our bodies feel a deep satisfaction from the sweet water, but a renewed strength in body, mind, and spirit. A new lease on life that was complete and refreshing! Psalm 42 ends with “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” The Psalmist chooses to hope and give praise to God even with a downcast soul. Because only the true and living God has the fresh water of life that completely satisfies and heals our painful desires.
What does the psalmist do when his soul is downcast? What should we do? Make a conscious decision to act, a “purpose of the will” decision to do something.
 
Make a “purpose of the will” to seek the Lord by returning to the house of God as shown in Psalm 42:4.
Make a “purpose of the will” to praise God as shown in Psalm 42:5.
Make a “purpose of the will” decision to remember God as shown in Psalm 42:6.
Make a “purpose of the will” decision to let God overwhelm his life as shown in Psalm 42:7
Make a “purpose of the will” decision to trust God’s lovingkindness as shown in Psalm 42:8.
Make a “purpose of the will” decision to be completely honest to God with your feelings as shown in Psalm 42:9-10, knowing God is still your rock.
Make a “purpose of the will” decision, when you are disturbed, to put your hope in God and praise Him, your Lord and Savior as portrayed in Psalm 42:11.

PRAY

Our sweet Savior, we praise you and your lovingkindness. For you and you alone are our God! We long to seek and desire only you and you alone in our life. Help us keep our soul filled with you. Bring us into that deep, personal dependence on you alone.

Day Four:

READ: Psalm 23

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

DEVOTION - Elder Sebastian Dortch

Psalm 23’s first sentence is crucial to understanding this majestic text. So let’s focus on three important words: Lord, My and Shepherd.
 
Lord: It’s the name God gave Himself. With it, He lays claim as this world’s only true God. Accepting this calls for us to reject the temptation to make ourselves or others Lord. We’re meant to joyfully serve within God’s grand story. Yet, it is so easy to act as if God exists to fit within ours.
 
My: While God is indeed creator, ruler, sustainer of all things — Lord of both the seen and unseen world — He has extended radical, undeserved offer: He is willing to make us His people. This is a staggering truth.
 
Shepherd: Now let’s assemble the sentence: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Shepherds exist for one purpose: to care for their sheep. Protection, provision, direction, it all comes from Him. Understanding that the universe’s Lord was also his loving shepherd caused David to proclaim: “I shall not want.” Why would he? He had everything he would ever need, because the one who had all things had him.

APPLICATION

Ask yourself this question: “Do I believe and behave as if the Lord, the one who made and sustains the universe, is dedicated to guiding, protecting and providing for my life?” Can I, like the apostle Paul in describing the Lord, say: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” ? (Romans 11:36, ESV) As I walk through my “valley of the shadow of death,” do I proclaim through word and deed that “I will fear no evil,” because my good shepherd is with me?

PRAY

“Father, you are so patient and loving with me. It is not because I am without sin. No, it’s because I have placed my hope and trust in the great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who died on a cross to make me a member of his flock. (John 10). Help me to rest in knowing that you are Lord, and I am not, and that your son is my Shepherd, the leader, provider and protector of my life. I am a sheep. Let me rejoice in this and live with confidence in this turbulent time.”

Day Three:

READ: Psalm 3

1Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” 3But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 6I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. 7Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

DEVOTION - Pastor Dave Dodge

This Psalm refers to the time when King David is fleeing Jerusalem because His son Absalom had stolen the hearts of the people with the intent of taking the throne and thereby making himself King. The Bible very honestly portrays the hearts of men. David, a man of whom God said “had a heart after mine”, is fleeing from His son. He is fleeing partly because of David’s own failure as a father, but also because Absalom believed his father had done nothing to punish the man (Absalom’s brother) who had raped his sister. This further exacerbated the situation by leaving Absalom in exile – after he took matters into his own hands and killed the guilty brother.

This story sounds more like a Jerry Springer show than a Biblical story about one of scriptures foremost heroes! That is the honesty of the Bible. There is none righteous – no not one. All of the hearts of humanity are tainted with sin. This is where the good news of God lands squarely on our broken souls. It reminds us that the Gospel is the biblical story that triumphs over all human stories. It covers redeemed humanity with a righteousness, bequeathed to believers by a resurrected Savior, who took the penalty we deserve and who covered us with His own righteousness. It is the good news of this Gospel that makes us presentable to Father God.

APPLICATION

Who are these many foes who taunt us by saying that God will not deliver you? Look at our own sinful selves. Why would we think that God would even have anything to do with us? As David leaves Jerusalem and runs for his life, He understands that a son’s yearning for a Father’s love, or even being Israel’s King, offers him no security. He immediately exalts God and boldly reminds Him of what he said to Abraham in Gen.15:1, “I am your shield and your very great reward.” David is not saying I know you will protect me no matter what situation I am in, rather he cries out to a covenant God, who bestows glory on his head. God describes this Glory when Moses asks God to show it to him. He doesn’t say to Moses, remember the power of the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, or the water from the rock for two million people plus their livestock. He says this is my glory, and proclaims; “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Ex.34:6)  David is calling on God’s Hesed love, Which is God loving us not because of us, but loving us because of His faithful committed love to us. It is in this that David exalts, “he will answer me from His Holy hill. I will lie down and sleep in peace. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise and deliver me, Oh God.”

PRAY

Heavenly Father, I’m besieged with troubles, some of which stem from my own sinfulness. I confess these to you, knowing that you will forgive me and help me turn from my sins. Be my shield, my confidence and my glory. Protect me, and bring me through this. I know you are with me and you are the lifter of my head. Amen.

Day Two:

READ: Psalm 2

1Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 3“Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” 4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” 10Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

DEVOTION - Elder Bruce Crawford

The text shows us the people and rulers conspired against the Lord.  But God is on the throne and He laughs at man’s attempts to rebel against His plan.  His wrath will be upon those who rebel.

God declares his son of the Davidic throne.  We are instructed in verse 11 to serve the Lord with reverential awe and to rejoice, to submit to His authority and rule.

We are told ALL who take refuge in Him are happy.

APPLICATION

Our hope is in the Lord.  Why?  Because He is still on the throne and will not be defeated. The word tells us to press in to the Lord, into His word.  We can do this by worshipping Christ through songs of praise, reading the Word and by fellowshipping with one another. Confess our sins and draw near to the Lord.

Take refuge in the Lord.

PRAY

Lord, it is easy to see all the chaos in this world and wonder where you are in it all. But Lord you say You are always with us and will never forsake us. Lord, help us to submit to Your will in our lives every day. 

Help me to love you with all my heart, soul and mind. Lord, help us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Amen.

Day One:

READ: Psalm 1

1Blessed 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, 2but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3That 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. 4Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

DEVOTION - Pastor Ryan Marr

The book of Psalms is a compilation of 150 poems broken into five smaller sections or “books”. These books tell a story told through Israel’s songs, poems, and prayers of a coming King. The Psalms paint an honest picture, not only of life’s pain, disappointment and fragility, but it also reveals the everlasting hope and joy we can experience in our daily lives. The Psalms are inviting us, even today, to experience God’s rule in our hearts and minds. 

The context of Psalm 1 is a reflection back into the Garden of Eden and is an invitation to meditate on God’s Law.  This might seem odd to “meditate” on laws, but I think our English word “law” may be the reason we think this way. In Hebrew, the word for law is the word Torah. Torah speaks about God’s wisdom and the way which we are to live. The law mentioned in Psalm 1 is not just a simple word, it is a call to live out this Wisdom as seen in scripture. So what is mediation? Meditation is not the clearing of one’s mind (as is taught in Eastern Mysticism), but is actually the filling of one’s mind with God’s Torah. To fill one’s mind with God’s law is to read through and think about verses and chapters of the Bible as the story leads us to Jesus’ wisdom, glory, and Reign . All the while, praying, thinking and reading them into one’s heart and mind.

Psalm 1 starts off describing two types of people, the wicked and the righteous. The righteous are those who delight and meditate on God’s Law, while the wicked are those who make a way for themselves. The wicked refuse to give allegiance to the King and will ultimately find themselves standing in His judgement. One of the characteristics of the righteous is that they “meditate” on God’s Law.  Which one will we be?

APPLICATION

How do you meditate on God’s word? The first task is to take time to read the Bible and to read it slowly.  Slowing down is so hard for us to do, but the fruit of it is that you are allowing your heart and mind to hear what God has said. For instance, look at Psalm 1:1-2. What do you see? I see that people are directionally moving in their own wisdom. This line of thinking forces me to think about which path I am on and what wisdom I am using in my life? Who am I really delighting in? What really is filling my mind? Do I get my advice from God or from others? Think through these questions yourself today. As you think about these questions, remember that Psalm 1:3 states that those who meditate on God’s word are like trees planted by water. It’s fulfilling what it means to walk in God’s Wisdom and fulfill our divine vocation as humans.

PRAY

God, we know that we have allowed other things to fill our minds. Things that have dried us up instead of making us yield fruit. God, today I am making a commitment to plant your Word into my heart. My heart is to learn (and experience) the peace that comes through your life that you have given freely to us. Thank you Jesus for giving up your life for mine, so that I can experience your joy and delight.