Today’s Scripture reading is Psalm 1, but notice especially verses 1 and 2.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Delight. What a vivid, emotional word. It’s defined as “a high degree of enjoyment; rapture; something that gives great pleasure.”
Don’t we naturally meditate on sources of delight? If we take a “high degree of enjoyment” from watching basketball, we anxiously look forward to game time. If we find “great pleasure” in our spouse, we seem to instinctively yearn just to be in their presence. If what we feel on the first tee of a golf course could possibly be described as “rapture,” the next opportunity to tee off will naturally fill our daydreams. If shopping thrills our hearts, we’ll anxiously wait for our next retail adventure.
We all understand what it means to delight in people, possessions, and possibilities.
But Psalm 1 is encouraging us to slow down, focus, and realize that the LORD alone is the source of truly enduring delight. The hours devoted to a televised sporting event quickly pass. Even the closest of our human relationships cannot atone for our mistakes. The best round of golf on the finest course in the world ultimately boils down to chasing a little white ball into a hole in the ground. Today’s fashion demand is tomorrow’s donation to Goodwill.
But the LORD lives on. His wisdom endures. His promises stand. His faithfulness stretches from everlasting to everlasting.
All of which means that if I dilute my soul with the cheap trinkets of this world to the point that my singularly greatest delight is not in the LORD and his will for my life, I’ve missed it all. I’ve neglected the only enduring oasis in the universe for the ever-shifting sands that will never satisfy.
Blessed is the man or woman who delights in the LORD today. Stay focused, guard your heart, and your Creator guarantees that you won’t regret it.