“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.”
Psalm 1:1-4 KJV
The presence of God cannot be taught merely by research but by experience. While starting this study, I had been spending time with God in order to catch the revelation within our theme scriptures . Abiding cannot be achieved without deliberate devotion and intentional actions. To add to the principle of intimacy as formally discussed, today we delve into another factor.
As I spent time with His Majesty, Psalm 1 was captured upon my heart. The chapter encapsulates many factors we see in Psalm 91 and John 15. The kind of man Psalm 1 describes, first understands total separation and submission, devotion and intention, to add to this is a level of faithful consecration. While discovering this, I was led to the vow of a Nazarite in Numbers 6, a serious commitment that was made for a period of time. This implies and teaches the way of priesthood though some ordinances have been made void through the new covenant , a royal priesthood as the Bible calls us, we must align as required by the later (1Peter 2:9).
Unfortunately today, as priests we no longer find joy in the presence of God. We seek pleasure in our churches but not in knowing our God and his ways. The principle of abiding takes genuine lovers of the presence and more so them that delight in the Lord. What does it mean to delight in the Lord?
““If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.””
Isaiah 58:13-14 NKJV
The prophet teaches us in the verse above what it means to delight in the Lord: to honor, acknowledge, to seek His way and not your own pleasure. It takes an understanding of your origination in God to know that your life, joy and all you desire is connected to Him. Doing His will fulfills every lack you believe to have. The life of true worshippers is a life knowing that your fulfillment comes from your service to Him. While you serve, the Father never retracts your reward. Hence He says, will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
These were the same words of David in Psalm 37:4;“Delight thyself also in the LORD; And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” To delight in the Lord is not by church lingo and activities but a commitment to observe His ways and live by His will. This was also the emblem of the personality in Psalm 1, his delight is in the law of the LORD; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. Your joy, your fulfillment is all found in God, you cannot love God and disregard His precepts.
Good morning Beloved.