Psalm 1 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 1 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
Verse 2but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.
Verse 3They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
Verse 4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Verse 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
Verse 6for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Devotion
The landscape of Southern California, once you leave the sprawling metropolis, is lonely desert often without a tree in sight for miles. The exception in the great Mohave Desert is the scraggly yet statuesque Joshua tree. The name "Joshua tree" was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a biblical story in which Joshua reached his hands up to the sky in prayer.
Like the Joshua tree, we are often found in the desert times of our lives seeking water to sustain our lives. That rain from heaven often seems all too infrequent. The Psalmist tells us the wicked are like trees that cannot stand upright. Those who meditate on God's teachings stand upright expectantly in desert times with hands reaching up to the sky in prayer like Joshua trees.
Prayer
Lord, your teaching is water to a thirsting soul. Help us to reach up in prayer and stand steadfast in faith in your Word. Amen.