Hello, Ian from sunny Sydney. It’s still a bit chilly as we’re now in the final month of winter here but I especially love a sunny winter’s day.
I love the Psalms. I’ve been reading, praying, singing a psalm most days for the last ten years. They’ve been invaluable in my learning to pray. Why? We see the Psalm writers (not just David) express all their emotions and provide a means for us to observe how to share our heart with God.
I have many favourites and one of them is the very first one: Psalm 1. It’s categorised as one of the wisdom psalms and interestingly, there’s debate about who’s its author. Some say Ezra, others David, and even Solomon gets a mention. But I think that’s by the by.
Two Ways to Live
The Psalm is relatively simple: 6 verses highlighting two different ways of doing life. The first is the ‘blessed’ life of ‘delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating on it day and night.’ (v2). It’s always intrigued me that these verses are very similar to those God shares with Joshua in chapter 1 of the book named after Moses successor. It reads:
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” (Joshua 1:8)
There is a consequence to this lifestyle. A very good one!
Psalm 1 states: “you will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.” (v3)
Joshua 1 is very succinct: “Then you will be prosperous and very successful.” (v8)
We can confuse the message and think worldly ways of prosperity and success. Sure, they may happen but more significantly the prosperity is a relational one. With Jesus, the church and others.
I like how J.D. Walt says it: “The Word of the Lord is our script. That’s why we call it Script-ure. We are not just memorising lines. We are learning a [person] – Jesus. We are immersing ourselves in a plot and narrative. We are becoming the players in the story [God’s story].”1
God acknowledges in Joshua that such a lifestyle isn’t necessarily easy for us. Hence, why the Word repeats the encouragement to be ‘strong and courageous’. Such a lifestyle with Jesus takes courage and we’re encouraged to ask God for such courage in prayer.
An Alternative Way of Life
There is a another way of life outlined in Psalm 1. We can place too much emphasis on the repetition of ‘wicked’ and think to ourselves, I’m not wicked. I’m a nice person who doesn’t ‘sit in the company of mockers’ (v1), etc. But I believe that’s not what we’re to take away from the Psalm 1.
If I refer to Joshua. Joshua had a calling on his life. He had trained by following Moses for years. He knew God. He’d sat in the house of God, and on Moses passing Joshua was the one to take the Israelites into the promised land.
God knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. Just like it isn’t for us. Maybe we don’t have such a significant calling on our lives but all of us have an invitation to discover the wonder and beauty of relationship with our Creator. That’s why we too need to be strong and courageous in choosing God over all life throws at us, much of which is very good.
So that we can bear fruit that really matters. Relational fruit that glorifies God and brings light and love into all our circumstances, even in our SUMite homes that at times can be a struggle.
Would you mind if I pray for us? I’m going to borrow some words from J.D. Walt and add my own.
Loving God, thank you for your Word and Holy Spirit who causes it to become living and active in our lives. We want this Word to be always on our lips. We want to mediate on it day and night. We want to become like Jesus – to have his heart, his mind, his character and love. We want to be strong courageous like Joshua and the psalmist. Please teach us to be courageous in choosing you and your Word over all the other seemingly good options available to us. Help us Holy Spirit to be filled with your word, your light and love as we go about our days and may they overflow into our homes and personal contexts.
We love you, Lord. Amen
Go well, dear SUMites.
Note: 1. J.D Walt ‘Wake-up Call” Daily email newsletter, Joshua 1:7-9, 4 August 2025. Ian Acheson annotations.
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