Today we are discussing Psalm 1.

The Psalms are an amazing book in the Bible — a beautiful compilation of songs, prayers, and poems. In many ways, it is like an ancient songbook. The Psalms contain songs of praise, lament, thanksgiving, and every kind of human emotion brought before God.

Psalm 1 is considered a wisdom psalm. It declares the difference between living a life informed by wisdom and walking the path of the fool.

Psalm 1 describes the righteous man and the fool, and the vast contrast evident in their lives because of the choices they make.

Today I want to focus on the life of the righteous man.

And the first thing I want to point out is the choice of the righteous.

We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have been declared righteous. But this should not lead us to a passive life of simply reveling in this gifted status. No. Like the righteous man described in Psalm 1, we must have a passionate and active response to God and to how He reveals Himself in His Word.

Psalm 1 says:

“His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.”

We should get into the habit of stopping and asking ourselves this question:

Do we find joy in reading the Bible?

Do we meditate on it — meaning, do we think deeply about it throughout the day?

Now when we find ourselves answering no to that question — and I say when intentionally, because we all go through seasons when we struggle to connect with God — we should cry out to the Lord:

“Help me, Holy Spirit, to find You when I read Your Word today. Help me persist in the discipline of connecting with You.”

This is a prayer the Lord loves to answer.

I say that because He has answered it for me again and again.

And we should persist in that prayer, like the persistent widow, because the blessings the Lord declares over the righteous person are not something we want to miss.

Psalm 1 gives us six beautiful pictures of the blessed life.

First:
He is like a tree.

When you think of a tree, what words come to mind?
Immovable. Steady. Consistent. Life-giving.

These are qualities that make us look more like Christ.

Second:
He is planted by streams of water.

In John 4, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that whoever drinks of the water He gives will never thirst again.

The righteous person is like a tree planted beside a constant stream.
There is continual provision.
There is no spiritual drought.

Third:
It yields its fruit in its season.

One of the most life-defining questions people ask is:

“What is the purpose of my life?”

But those who belong to God are never without purpose.

As we delight in His Word, God is constantly producing fruit through our lives for His kingdom.

Fourth:
Its leaf does not wither.

One definition of wither is to decay or decline.

But the Lord says that the one who delights in Him does not spiritually decay. Even in difficult seasons, God sustains and preserves their life.

Fifth:
“In all that he does, he prospers.”

This is not prosperity in the way the world defines it.

As our hearts align with God’s heart, our desires begin to align with His desires. True prosperity is faithfully following the Lord wherever He leads.

He is for us and not against us.

And finally, the sixth promise — my favorite:

“The Lord knows the way of the righteous.”

This doesn’t simply mean that God is aware of us.

This word know carries a much deeper meaning.

It means He guides, instructs, watches over, and walks with us.

We are not wandering blindly through life.

We are walking in the light of the Lord.

How amazing is that?

So Psalm 1 presents us with two paths — the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked.

But the difference between them begins with something very simple:

What we delight in.

When our delight is in the Word of God, it slowly reshapes our hearts, our thoughts, and our lives.

And over time, God makes us like that tree —
steady, fruitful, nourished, and deeply rooted in Him.

So the invitation of Psalm 1 is simple:

Delight in the Word. Meditate on it. Return to it again and again.

Because when we do, we discover that the blessed life is not found in chasing the things of this world.

It is found in walking closely with the Lord who knows our way. Pick up your Bible.