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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\u2014
whatever they do prospers.
(Psalm 1:1-3)

I\u2019ve continued to ponder what the shape of a faithful Christian life is when there\u2019s no communal gatherings for worship.

If you\u2019ve been following along with these devotions, you\u2019ve heard me say that Israel in the time of the Kings and the Psalms didn\u2019t have weekly communal worship either: only communal festivals at the temple a few times a year. So, what was it that kept them walking in the way of the Lord as day blurred into day between their pilgrimage?

Part of the key lies in these opening words of the Psalter from Psalm 1, I think. I was reminded of them again by an Australian band called the \u201cSons of Korah,\u201d who devote themselves to giving a fresh voice to the Biblical Psalms. Their song Blessed is the Man, does just that with Psalm 1, and it\u2019s been stuck in my head the past few days. If you\u2019re curious to hear it, you can find and click the link here in the written text of this devotion.

It\u2019s a Psalm that speaks to our movement through life in body, heart, and mind. The walking, sitting, and standing of our body. The delight of our heart. The meditations of our mind. And in all these places\u2014in our hearts, minds, and the strength of our bodies\u2014the invitation is to be fixed on the law of the Lord and on His righteousness.

It sounds a bit like the first and greatest commandment given by Jesus in the Gospels: \u201cLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength\u201d (Mark 12:30). Which is actually Jesus quoting the faith of Israel from Deuteronomy.

Throughout the Bible from beginning to end, this idea of literally walking our faith out day by day with, and in everything that we are: our heart, soul, mind, and strength remains paramount. The first commandment upon which we are to meditate.

So blessed is the one who does just that. Who does not walk in step with the wicked by taking cruel words or actions out in arguments with their spouse, parents, children, or friends.

Blessed is the one who does not stand in the way that sinners take, like those that link to pornography.

Blessed is the one who does not sit in the company of mockers on social media where cruelty and disparaging remarks are being shared\u2014whether about public figures, the opinions and decisions of other fellow human image bearers of God or anything or anyone else.

Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord which gives them joy when opportunities pop up to love their neighbours as themselves, like in the grocery store aisles when someone starts an angry conversation about masks or cuts you off in line. You can love them\u2014what a delight.

Blessed is the one who meditates on the law of the Lord, such as the command to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength day and night. Whether through songs that bring the words of Psalms into our day or in prayers that carry us through waking nights.

Blessed is that one who lives the law of the Lord: there is a rhythm to their lives like the seasonal rhythm of a desert tree growing by water. Rooted in God, we find the nutrients that enable us to live fruitfully, rhythmically, and fully this life we\u2019ve been given. Drinking from His waters of life build the muscles of our mind, heart, body, and soul to react in the attentive ways of righteousness, rather than in the cruel, prideful, self-righteous, or escapist ways that otherwise become easily our default.

Our devotional life is actually more like a life of devotion. It\u2019s not only Bible reading and prayer\u2014it is a life devoted to the love of the Lord and His ways that shows up in our emotional life, our mental ponderings, and the actions carried out by the strength of our bodies day by day.

Blessed is that one who devotes all their life and living to the Lord.

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