The trail you are walking seems to be a path, but you’re not sure. It is almost as if no one has walked that way before, and yet, there is a way that appears before you. As you’re walking, the sun is rising, and the day is getting hotter with every step. You keep walking but will need to stop and recharge soon. As you round a steep bend and descend into a valley, that is when you begin to hear and then you see it.
A stream of rushing water and on its banks, a tree that seems to have sprung from the desert floor, rising into the sky, bearing a fruit you have never seen before. Under the shade of this tree sits a simple but beautiful bench. Some branches hang low enough to partake of its sweet fruit.
This. This, my friends, is what it would be like to be present in the opening lines of Psalm One. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the way of sinners, nor stand in the way of mockers.
Instead, they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like a tree planted by streams of water…”
Let us now take a closer look at this scripture. So much is happening; there is so much life here. The tree is beckoning us closer, to sit under its canopy of green leaves. The river of flowing waters beckons us to drink deeply. To drink deeply from His Word and of His Spirit.
The joy and refreshment in the beginning of this Psalm come from one place. The tree of life mentioned here. While the author does not give it that name, this is exactly what it provides. It provides a recipe.
Step one: Sit still. (Be still and know that I am God…) Allow yourself to just BE.
The mind needs rest, and it works best when it is at rest, when it is in a state of peace, when there is shalom between the mind and body.
Allow yourself to be planted in the Word, that you may take root in it. We are told that having faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. The sabbath was created for man to rest, to bring a holy silence and stillness to himself, that he may live. To be like the tree, planted so the life given can bear much fruit, that may nourish many, and through the many, more seeds planted. Sitting still is a difficult task for many of us. But to become more Christ-like in our daily lives, we must first learn to be like the tree and sit. To not strive to “do” more, to run faster and try harder.
Step two: Remember. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Meditation seems to get a bad rap because of Eastern religions and the confusion regarding the practice. To meditate on something, in this case, God’s law, means to pick it up and look at it from many angles. From multiple perspectives. The Hebrews have a term for this: “Block Logic.” It is where one word has many sides that describe a thing from different directions. To delight in scripture is not necessarily to take pleasure in it but to be moldable, pliable, and shapable.
Think of the toy Play-Doh: when fresh out of the can, it smells good, it’s pliable, yet, you can make many things out of it and they keep their form. Such is when we delight in the law of the Lord
Step three: Do not be in a hurry. Trees take time to grow. We must let go of the idea that we are the only ones who can fix or facilitate in any given situation. We must learn to be like the tree, rooted and grounded, not comparing ourselves, not striving for more. Rather, trees have a secret language. When one is struggling or is unhealthy, other surrounding trees will send nutrients to the one in peril. Allowing others to help, will not only lessen our burden but, in turn, allow another to be blessed.
Step four: Rest. Engage in the resting process. Psalm One speaks of the leaves of the tree never withering. The shade provided is like the Lord enveloping us with His omnipresent Love. It’s easy to feel loved by God when things are going well. However, in those dark times, we must take a moment to breathe, rest, reflect, and reset. It is through the practice and presence of rest that our minds function best. It is here, in the space of rest, that we are designed to dwell. As Watchman Nee points out in his book “Sit Walk Stand,” Adam’s first full day of life was the day God chose to rest…We were designed to rest in God and our work.
Step five: Rejoice, rejuvenate, go forth, and bear fruit! The fruit in this Psalm is indicative of His desire for us to experience His abundance and to take joy in His gifts. Think with me back to the beginning, back to Genesis one. God planted a garden and put the man in the middle of it. Each tree was bearing fruit, good for the man, pleasing to the Lord, and good for food. Each piece contained seeds, seeds for bearing more trees and more fruit. Each was told to go forth and multiply. Creating more, creating abundance. The fruit of the tree is not for the benefit of the tree; it is for those other weary souls whom we meet, whom we can provide a place of refuge for. The fruit we produce will be lasting fruit, helping others to build and grow, to rest, and flow – like the waters and wind…
Because we have taken advice from the tree and rooted ourselves in Christ, His love, we can provide His shade to the weary and His fruit to the hungry. It is in these steps, and the practice thereof, that we can truly be the “hands and feet of Jesus” to a tired and hungry world!
Single Slice of Cheese 