Blessed

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; Psalm 1:1

This is how the great songbook of the Bible begins.  The Psalms bring to us the heights of the mountaintop and the depths of Sheol, they reveal raw emotion in all of its many forms and they come before our God with postures of thanksgiving, praise, frustration and lament.  Yet, with all of this in view throughout the 150 songs of the Psalter it is here that we must begin: “Blessed is the man…”  It might be very easy to run to words in the first verse like wicked, sinners and scoffers, but it is only fitting and very intentional by the inspired Psalmist that we rest in this very first word, Blessed.  From this word we understand from the outset that the God we are singing to, praying to, running to is a God who indeed blesses!  Out of the very nature of who our God is we find a God who takes grand delight in showering His people with blessing.  This is at the very foundation and core of who our God is.  From the very beginning He has been zealous to bless His people.  From the dust of the earth God creates Adam and Eve and immediately presents to them the most beautiful home filled with all of the creative majesty of our God.  We see our God blessing Abraham and Sarah with the son they longed, the son God had graciously promised to them.  We see our God delivering His people out of slavery and leading them on a path to a new home where they can serve their God and their God can reign over them.  We see God repeatedly redeeming His chosen people out of their own wicked choices in order that they may see and savor their God anew.  And then, if these displays were not enough to assure us that our God is one who takes much joy in blessing His people, we see our God send His own and only Son to walk among us, display God’s glory in perfect fashion, and be set on the final altar as the final sacrifice so that once and for all God’s people would not be separated from Him.  Yes, indeed, with great confidence we can declare that our God blesses His people!  

As we begin to find our great God in the Psalms let us begin with the beautiful truth that our God is a God who blesses His people!  This blessing in this Psalm and throughout all of Scripture is most fully seen and known through God’s promise to be our God.  This is THE blessing above all other blessings.  Our great God blesses His people with Himself…this is His great covenantal promise, that He will be our God and we will be His people.  This great covenantal promise is where the Psalmist begins and this is where we will surely begin as well.  Take great delight today church, that the God of Holy Scripture, the God over all creation is indeed our God and He has graciously given us Himself most perfectly and fully through the cross of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY: God, thank you are a God who blesses.  Thank you for the gift of Yourself.  Let this gift be my vision today.