Psalm 1 tells us to be good, to follow God’s ways. Who could argue? Well, some people have other advice. They are wicked. In Psalm 1, it’s like chalk and cheese. The wicked are like chaff, like the lightweight shells of wheat that only animals can eat. Chaff is dry and unpleasant for us. There’s not much to it: it blows away in the wind.
But the people who love God’s law are not like that. They are like “trees planted by streams of water”.
Psalm 1 makes it seem quite clear. People of God do well from following God’s ways. “In all that they do, they prosper” (Ps 1:3).
Does that ring true with you? Do people of God always prosper?
Streams of water come in handy when it’s dry. Jeremiah develops the idea: A tree that sends its roots into the stream “shall not fear when heat comes” It’s not anxious in the year of drought. (Jer 17:8). So God’s people are not protected from feeling the heat. They may well experience drought. But they know where to go to get strength.
We always have access to God in prayer. We always have access to God’s word in the scriptures. Even when God seems distant, we know the truth that his Spirit is near.
What about our physical needs? Are we never short of what helps us live in this world? No, sometimes we may actually be far from a real stream of water. It may actually be in following God’s call that we find ourselves in a hard place. Jesus was in the wilderness without food or drink for 40 days. Satan offered prosperity in terms that the world understands. But Jesus chose to follow the way of the Father.
In Luke, we hear Jesus give a sermon on who is blessed.
He said that the poor are blessed – the kingdom of God is theirs (Lk 6:20). And he said that the hungry are blessed (Lk 6:21). So maybe Psalm 1 has it right after all. Jesus was in a better place for following God’s way and avoiding Satan’s temptations. He was blessed. He was stronger after that time. He was better prepared for his mission and service. He wasn’t comfortable, but he was strong in survival. In that way, he prospered.
Often, the bad people of this world seem to have control. They make moral people look foolish. They can make life hard for Christians.But Jesus asks us to take the long view.“Your reward is great in heaven!”. Do you have to wait until you die to enjoy the rewards? Not really.Jesus says to rejoice now. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy” (Lk 6:23). Know that you are right with God. Know that you have access to the living water. Feed on the word of God. Know that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Live with a positive mind. Scowling and scoffing is the lot of the wicked, the ones that are rejected in Psalm 1 (Ps 1:1)! Live in hope and prosper always, in the power of God’s Spirit!
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