Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.
They 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. ”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, May 30, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: We can find happiness in God’s law.
This first of 150 psalms sets up imagery for a happy life. Contrary to the things people tend to pursue to find happiness—money, possessions, relationships, drugs, freedom—God’s prescription for happiness is God’s law.
For many of us who value freedom, it can be hard to imagine how striving to follow laws perfectly can be life-giving. Most have gotten a speeding or parking ticket, been yelled at by parents or bosses, missed paying bills, or any number of infractions small or large that have put us on the wrong side of right.
But maybe we could look at it from a different perspective. Instead of being restrictive, God’s law can actually be freeing. Consider the imagery laid out in the psalm. People are like trees nourished by the water that is God’s law. The nourishment helps trees grow strong roots, healthy leaves, and abundant fruit. Unlike the wicked who blow away as easily as chaff, those who delight in God’s law find themselves immovable and strong. Binding ourselves to God’s law, it seems, also roots us so that we are not blown about by the whims of the wicked.
There is something quite freeing about not being blown about. Imagine the chaos for someone who flits about here and there without a plan, direction, or intention! There is no peace in that kind of life. There is no happiness in being tossed and turned by life.
Happiness is found in the discipline of following God. Freedom is found in the groundedness of knowing oneself—a byproduct of being nourished by God’s law.
