Psalm 1

I decided to weed my garden.

I was pregnant with my little one and at 35 weeks pregnant, I decided that, in order to have this baby my gardens needed to be weeded. All of them. Our gardens had been overtaken by little weeds and my brain told me that I absolutely could not have this baby until the weeds were removed. I had been scheduled for an induction due to the medical complications that came with my pregnancy, and I truly thought that I could NOT have this baby until this was done. So there I was, 35-36 weeks pregnant, out on all fours in our gardens every single day pulling weeds.

Of course, at that point, I was just concerned about getting the weeds out of the garden fast, therefore I know without a doubt that some of the weeds are currently a cookin’ out there, ready to pop up this spring again. I tried my best to remove the roots but, when you’re in a time crunch while planning on inducing labor the following week due to pregnancy complications, you just gotta get them out of there fast.

Nesting is incredible. Crazy, but incredible.

But also, thinking about those roots that are getting ready to pop up this spring, I cannot help but think about how they will probably be an easy removal this spring. Even though I was a speedster, rolling through the gardens at lightning speed to get things done before Baby B arrived, I do know that these weeds didn’t really have deep roots either. Some roots were left from the weeds, but many of them I was able to pull out without much resistance, because the roots were shallow and not really anchored into the soil yet.

Reflecting on Psalm 1, I cannot help but compare this memory of whipping through weeding our gardens with a tree. I’m thinking a big tree, anchored into the side of a rocky cliff that I ran into on a hike in La Crosse, WI, and I am thinking of a tree where a flood carried away a full FOOT of earth underneath it where the root system is exposed above the earth but the tree did not go anywhere. It stayed put despite the turmoil surrounding it.

Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.

He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:2-3

Now, reading these verses, I cannot help but see that it is quite clear what the anchor is. It’s not the things of this world. It’s not money. It doesn’t name a single person. It’s not a church. It’s not even family. It’s the Lord’s instruction that anchors this writer. The Lord’s instruction is compared to a tree planted in the most beautiful place. The tree has no worries about how it is going to be watered, as it is synonomous with the source of life and nourishment (the stream) at ALL times. It has no worries about if or when it will bear fruit, because it happens when the tree is intended to bear fruit – in its proper season. It doesn’t have to worry one bit about its leaf withering, because the ultimate source of life is PROVIDING.

I’ll be completely honest with you, my world has been rocked recently. I have really struggled being in the word. It’s been a season with new challenges and adjustments. But I also know that my roots are so darn deep because of the seasons I have been in before. God has provided so many opportunities in previous seasons for me to grow, learn, and deepen my roots in His instruction, that this source of life is sustaining me in a season where I’m feeling a little lost. I am tied to the source of life so fully and completely that, even if I am struggling, I know that the LORD provides, is GOOD, He LOVES me, and He is present through my struggle. That’s a beautiful thing. I am so encouraged in my time of struggle recently by these verses, knowing that the Lord sustains me.

But also, I press on. I know that this season can’t (and won’t!) last forever. Digging in and leaning into the Lord’s instruction when I am struggling is so important! Things are not always going to be perfect and good, but leaning into relationship with Him through meditation in His word, in prayer, and in His presence, is just as (if not more!) important than ever before. Because, even though there’s encouragement in this Psalm, there’s also a warning.

The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

Psalm 1:4-5

The writer warns us that, without roots, we will blow away. We will not be sustained, but instead there are serious consequences of us falling away from His word and instruction.

Reading this Psalm, I am reminded of the true joy that we can have being rooted in the instruction of the Lord, in the gospel, and in relationship with our good God. Gosh, the Psalmist even tells us that it is our “delight”, and we are “happy” while walking in His instruction! The freedom and joy that come with walking with Him is unmatched by anything that this life can offer.

Today, I do pray for me, and I pray for those who are reading this. Let us run to Him, lean into Him, and find JOY in Him. Let us be deeply rooted in our good Father.