Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates days and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in season and whose leave does not wither. (Psalm 1:1-3)
When I think on the word 'meditate' I conjure images of candles, monks and cloistered quietness. But the Hebrew word translated here is 'ragah'. It is used by the prophet Isaiah to speak of a lion growling over its prey (Isaiah 31:4). This is no passive, quiet pondering. This is active, salivating absorption. Like a dog chews on a bone we are to savor, enjoy, linger over God's Word.
Too easily I skip over the pages of the Bible like a stone skimming the surface of a lake. I touch the water but I never plunge the depths. But God calls me away from the spiritual shallows into the deep end with Him. Lingering over and actively engaging in scripture is where I am called to put down my roots.
On the front page of The Australian this morning was a picture of the inexorable advance of floodwaters towards the barren moonscape of Lake Eyre. Where the water flows, life will magically appear. Roots nourished by the water of God's Word will produce a tree with s strong trunk, sturdy branches and fruit in season, even in dry places. This is who God is calling me to be.
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