Active Theology

“but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
   and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2, ESV)

Lately, I feel like I’ve been awake all through the day and night. Obviously I’m awake during the day – working, cooking, playing with my kids…doing the normal things one does during the day. But over the last month or so, my youngest daughter has been giving me flashbacks to the sleepless nights with a newborn. 

Haley and I are trying to figure out what’s going on. Is she teething? Does she feel cold because of the recent arctic weather? Or is she just waking up hungry? We still haven’t figured it out. But I do know that some nights feel really long, even if my little girl wakes me up only one time.

Depending on the night, I have a hard time getting back to sleep. I toss and turn in bed as my mind scrolls through a variety of thoughts – existential ponderings, wondering if I’m a good dad, remembering things I forgot to get done at work or at home, praying for my family and friends, etc. That’s a pretty light list for 3AM, right? I need my thoughts to take a detour.

The author of Psalm 1 tells us that a blessed person meditates “day and night” on the law of the Lord. Day and night.

Is there anything you do for 24 hours on a daily basis? I guess you could say…breathing? Seems like a silly answer, but I think it gets to the point of what the Psalmist is saying. Meditating on God and His Word should be constant and automatic action in our lives. 

In Psalm 1, the author contrasts two types of people – the blessed and the wicked. To be a “blessed man”, means to be delighted is in God’s Word. This happens by meditating on Scripture on a “day and night” kind of basis. The Hebrew word that is used here for meditate is hagah and it actually means “to speak or proclaim”. We read the word meditate and thinking comes to mind, but Psalm 1 is saying that our mind should be so consumed by God’s Word that we can’t stop talking about it. 

And I can’t ignore the results of being someone that meditates on God’s Word day and night – You’ll be like a tree planted next to a river, never withering. This is the image of someone that is constantly drinking from the source and therefore confident in the Lord, filled up with the promises of Scripture, and able to stand firm in faith. I want to be the “blessed man” that is depicted in Psalm 1.

If you’re like me, your mind wonders – especially if you’re up at 3AM. May this week be a turning point as we consume our thoughts with God’s Word and I pray that it will invade our speech as well. 

Pray: Father, I thank you for Scripture. I pray that Your Word will fill my thoughts, actions, and words. I know that You are the source of life, so help me to run to You always.

Song: “Psalm 1” by Poor Bishop Hooper

Craig is a worship pastor at Wallula Christian Church and the creator of Active Theology. He loves coffee dates with his wife, reading, and riding his bike. A few of his favorite things are third wave coffee, vanilla ice cream, and plain t-shirts.