Thoughts for the Day

Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I have once inherited from a student a large in the family a big yukka 'tree' in a pot. Its branches had cigarette burns on it, and it was in a bad way after years of neglect. But after enlarging the pot, changing the soil, and even more importantly watering the plant, it grew to be huge and healthy.

In the days when I was based in a cathedral where all 150 psalms were said or sung each month, I always felt a shiver of delight as we began Psalm No. 1. Along with the next psalm they act as a preface to the whole Psalter, seeking to guide us towards God and away from evil.

The righteous person is like a well-watered tree. In areas where it doesn't rain much this would often have been near a river bank so that its roots could grow strong reaching down into the water. Whereas the wicked person is like a useless husk or piece of chaff that a breath of wind could blow away. In other words as trees planted near water will blossom and produce fruit in time, so when we turn to God, and place our trust Him; when we have faith in His promises; when we allow His words to sink into our souls, we too shall flourish.

Heavenly Father,
help us to keep close to You,
to draw strength from Your presence,
and learn to trust in Your words.
May we learn to look at our decisions
in the light of Your love
as we try to make changes to the way we live.
When life seems hard keep us from despair,
believing that You always have our good at heart
Amen.