The UFC women’s ministry team talks much about equipping and encouraging women to be rooted in God’s Word, for the one who is established in the ways of Jesus will continue to bear much fruit even when the hard days come (Jeremiah 17:7-8). As we look back on a year of hardship, look forward to a year of hope, and prepare for our upcoming study Embracing God’s Rest, set to begin next Monday, January 11, we think it’s fitting to review how we cultivate deep roots in the way of Jesus. Psalm 1 provides a beautiful outline for how to do this, so beginning today and running through Friday, we will look at one aspect of this psalm each day.
Much is said about setting goals and writing down new year’s resolutions, but that’s not what the practices of rootedness are all about. Just as it’s impossible to survive without food and rest, so too it’s impossible to be deeply rooted as a follower of Jesus without the food and rest of the spiritual life. We hope you’ll see that when we incorporate each practice into the schedule of our days that we will experience a growing and deepening relationship with our Savior. Today we look at what it means to delight in the law of the LORD (vs. 2).
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—
whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3, NIV
Throughout our days, we enjoy a good cup of tea or coffee, relish a good meal, and feel excitement when we find a good bargain at the store or claim a choice parking spot. Yes, we can name many simple pleasures, but the delight we read about in Psalm 1 is about so much more than a temporary benefit.
To delight in God’s Word is to incline oneself to what God says is good and best and will bring life. It is about slowing in the presence of the One who loves us without condition. When the psalmist speaks of delight in Psalm 37:4, the root word anog means to be soft, delicate, dainty. It’s the gentle way of a husband and wife learning to do life together. In setting aside one’s own desires and timelines to satisfy the longings of the other person, the heartbeat of your beloved becomes your own. So it is with God’s Word when we slow down and learn to see it as it is, the words of the One who delights in us, who desires our best, who sacrificed His own comfort for us.
We encourage you to prioritize the practice of reading and studying God’s Word. If this isn’t natural in your life, we suggest you set a timer for 20 minutes and sit with one passage of Scripture. Ask yourself one simple question as you read: What does this section tell me about God? If you’re looking for a good place to start today, we suggest Psalm 37 as you learn more about what it means to delight in the Lord.