Psalm 1
June 25, 2023
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, you are marvelous in your law that you have revealed to us in nature and revealed to human authors in the Bible. Your law continually points us back to you as our sole focus to worship. Your law reminds us that we are not perfect and not superior to you oh God. You alone are worthy of our praise. But we are prone to wander, prone to be led astray. Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. As we study your word and study your law, we learn about your way. Thank you God for the brain you have given us to think. We also need your Holy Spirit to soften our hearts and tenderly redirect our hearts to the small gate and the narrow road. For we do not gain the joy or peace from simply knowing where the small gate and narrow road is, we find joy when we set our focus on you, and the end of that narrow road, which is heaven and eternal glory with you.
We praise you that we have been made in the image of you, we bear the resemblance of you. You have crowned us with glory and honor. You have entrusted us with care for the rest of creation. We are incredibly blessed. Forgive our pride in thinking we have accomplished anything on our own. That pride will lead us to destruction. Scripture gives us story after story of pride leading to destruction in peoples’ lives. Help us to learn from these stories and see our modern day equivalent experiences for what they are. Convict our hearts
Verse 2 says “Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night.” Forgive us for our wickedness in reading your word in any other way that does not glorify you. Broad is the road of scoffers, and wicked counsel. Guard our hearts. May we see stress, anxiety, loss of hope, as signals that call us to look to you. To meditate on your word. To ask the Holy Spirit to give us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Help us to rightly study your word, help us to delight in your word. We cannot do this alone. We are dependent on you God, and we are greatly encouraged with our friends here in our local church.
We pray for our global partners as they share your good news in other parts of the world. We lift them up and pray for them to have good friendships that bring encouragement in their lives. We pray for them now and spur us on in our encouragement of others.