“Father, please give me an open heart, open ears, and open eyes to Your Word for me today. Help me to listen. Help me to apply it to everything You have been showing me this week. But specifically, help me to hear Your voice and what this Word from You means for me TODAY!” Amen. Today’s Scripture is Psalm 1. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” This week’s Theme has been “The DANGER of Missing Jesus!”
Sunday’s Message revealed how God passionately reaches out to His broken, often obstinate people – but warns them of the danger of denial of Him. Pastor gave a thought-provoking illustration using a PVC pipe and a music stand symbolizing a wall that we can build up between us and the breath of His Holy Spirit.
Next, add on to the PVC pipe illustration verses like Matthew 12:30 - “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” And Matthew 12:35 - “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
This was scary! My heart raced in anxious thoughts worrying if I have built a wall of rejection between me and the Holy Spirit. I can be so obstinate – broken – stubborn – sinful –!!! But, I certainly do not want to be cut off from His Holy Spirit!
I found myself wondering… “Have I grieved You this way, Father?” “Do You consider me to be one who is against You?” “Have I sinned against the Holy Spirit?” “Is there good stored up inside of me?” “Am I in danger of cutting off myself from Your Holy Spirit?” “I don’t want to end up MISSING You, Jesus because of my hard-heartedness.”
Then the beautiful passage Jesus quoted from Isaiah brought much relief – “A bruised reed He will not break, a smoldering wick He will not snuff out!... In His Name the people will put their hope!” What comfort! When I am a bruised reed, barely hanging on in the stormy gale of life – He will not “break” me! If there is even a smoldering ember left inside of me – He will not snuff me out! I am so thankful for His patience and mercy with me. In HIS Name – HIS Name – I will put my Hope!
As I read through today’s Psalm at first I was filled with more fear. "Am I walking in the counsel of the wicked?" " Will I be blown away like chaff in the wind?" I know that I don’t “do” all the things that this Psalm says perfectly. “Yes, I am sinful. Yes, I have done wicked things. Yes, I mess up. I don’t meditate on His law every day and night.
BUT I can say that my delight is NOT in the counsel of the wicked. My delight is NOT in the way of sinners. My heart yearns for walking in the counsel of the Lord Jesus Christ. My delight IS in the law (or Word) of the Lord. As best I can, I meditate on His Word and try to receive it and let it penetrate my hardened, yet broken heart.
After reading it over and over, this Psalm actually reassures me that if I am delighting in the Lord - I am blessed! If I am "blessed" then there is no fear that I have become hardened to the Holy Spirit! It says that I am like a tree planted by streams of water… whose leaf does not wither! There is no fear in this!
I desire and delight in the Lord! I do not have to worry about the image of that music stand blocking me from the sweet, precious breath of the Holy Spirit. There is no wall between me and my Savior!
How about you and your journey this week? How is this Psalm relevant for you today as you study and chew on all that God is teaching about the danger of MISSING Jesus?
-dawn