God's Word, Christian Scripture, is one of God's greatest gifts to followers of Jesus. In God's Word, we discover who God is in character, personality, and activity. Further, God's Word is a source of spiritual life for those who meditate on it. They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which have a constant source of spiritual life.
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed are the ones who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on God's law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in season
and whose leaves do not wither.
Whatever they do prospers.
At the heart of Psalm 1 is meditating on God's Word (the law of the Lord). Meditating on God's Word leads to spiritual life. Think of meditating as marinating a steak (or chicken or fish, if you prefer). I once bought a steak at a local market and when I returned home I put the steak in a bag. I poked holes in the steak with a knife so the marinade would soak into the steak. Then I put together some homemade marinade, filled the bag so the steak was covered and put it in the fridge for six hours. Later that evening, I cooked the steak just right. I placed the steak on my plate, cutting it perfectly, and took a bite. Wow! This was one of the best steaks I had ever eaten because the marinade soaked through the entire steak causing it to be tender, moist and amazingly delicious.
Likewise, when we meditate on God's Word, we are allowing God's Word to soak through our entire being - from our head, to our heart, to our hands. Whatever we meditate on is what we will begin to embody. So think of meditating "day and night" as consistency in God's Word. This will be different for different people, but the point is to find a rhythm of being in God's Word on a consistent basis.
For me, during this spiritual season, God has directed me to read through the New Testament (Matthew - Revelation). I do this by generally reading a chapter of Scripture per day, starting in Matthew 1. I read each chapter three times, allowing God's Word to wash over my mind. Then I talk through the whole chapter with Jesus - what stuck out, what I didn't understand, what I wrestled with or was convicting, what spoke to my heart, etc. I finish by praying through the parts of the text that the Holy Spirit highlighted while I was reading. I pray that the text would permeate my heart and daily living, that Jesus would bring the Scriptures to life in and through me. Again, meditating on Scripture will look different for different people, this is just one way of doing it. The aim is for us to "marinate" in God's Word.
When we meditate on God's Word, we are "planted by streams of water" (v3). The Hebrew word for planted actually entails being transplanted. The one who meditates on God's Word is transplanted to streams of water, which leads to spiritual life. What is interesting is the word plant or transplant, is actually in the passive. This is significant because the passive implies that an outside source is transplanting the tree, not the tree (or person) itself. This reveals that God is the one who transplants the tree to streams of water, or spiritual life, when a person meditates on God's Word consistently. Our human responsibility is to establish a consistent rhythm of meditating on God's Word, and it is God's responsibility to transplant us to streams of water. We meditate. God transplants.
A note about spiritual seasons. The text indicates this tree planted by streams of water yields its fruit "in season." This implies there will be seasons that are not fruitful. I imagine desert seasons or times when God feels distant or completely removed. This is when we need to be gentle with our souls and adjust to our difficult spiritual season. Psalm 1 encourages us to still meditate on Scripture, but this may take a different form to adjust to the desert or distant season. For example, we can find Scripture that connects with our spiritual season such as a psalm of lament, frustration or anger, or even read through the book of Lamentations itself. Or we can journal about Scripture we are reading that fits our spiritual season. The aim is for us to adjust our souls and meditation to fit our spiritual season. It is like walking in shorts and flip flops when it is winter with snow and ice; the outcome may be fatal. So adjusting our abiding in God's Word may look different for different seasons.
Meditating on God's Word will lead to spiritual life. It will lead to a deeper revelation of Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as we encounter the Triune God in Scripture. We will learn more about God's character, personality, and activity in our lives and in the lives of those around us. As we are consistently in God's Word, God transplants us to streams of water, which lead to spiritual life. As we meditate on God's Word, we create a space to encounter and be encountered by the Living God, and to grow in our relationship with God. Meditating on God's Word leads to spiritual life.
Jesus, would you give us the grace to meditate on God's Word that we may be transplanted by streams of water, which lead to spiritual life. Amen.
Additional Abiding Resources
Practicing His Presence, Brother Lawrence & Frank Laubach
Abiding: Abiding in Jesus (blog post)
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