How does the Bible quench our thirsty souls?
Psalm 1:1-2
“Blessed…” What a marvelous word of promise hangs like a sign over the entrance way to the Book of Psalms! “If you want blessedness, enter here!” – it beckons. Psalms is a book of the records of people whose hearts thirsted after God, who drank deeply and were satisfied, who knew how to praise their God until he had filled their hearts to overflowing with the joy of his presence. Recently, my own joy in the Lord has been small and weak. I hope studying Psalms carefully will rectify this situation. I want to be “Blessed.” O Lord, use this Book to teach us how you bless your thirsty people!
Verse 1: Blessedness comes from turning away from evil
Verse 2: Blessedness comes from turning to God’s Word
As a matter of fact, for the thirsty seeker, God’s word is his delight! He enjoys it, because it satisfies all his longings. Daily life affords no blessedness like the contentment of a person whose strong appetite has just been sated by God’s corresponding provision. He is famished – a steaming hot stew fills him to his cockles with goodness and nourishment. He is parched – a tall, cool glass of spring water slakes his thirst. He is love-starved – the affections of his spouse meets his yearnings. He is weary – a ten-hour slumber in the soft comfort of his bed restores him completely. And the joy of these satisfactions is always in direct proportion to the strength of the need prior to the satisfaction. The stronger the need, the greater the joy in its satisfaction. God has made us naturally hungry beings so He can satisfy our needs and bring us joy, while teaching us to look to Him at all times.
“God has made us naturally hungry beings so He can satisfy our needs and bring us joy, while teaching us to look to Him at all times.”
Here in Psalm 1:2, it is the word of God which feeds him. It deeply and richly satisfies the yearning of his heart after knowledge, meaning, purpose, wisdom, and guidance. Discovery comes from meditation (“and on his law he meditates day and night” verse 2) – deep thinking on each of the details, savoring them as an epicure savors each mouthful from a skilled chef. In the meditation comes the revitalizing discoveries which refresh him as a stream of water refreshes the land through which it flows. And verse 3 clearly points to the limitless renewing power of this never-ending stream. Blessedness characterizes his life in the form of fruitfulness. “Whatever he does prospers.” Verses 4-6 contrast the permanence (in verse 3) of the one who delights in God’s Law to the impermanence of the wicked who despise it. They “blow away,” “will not stand,” and “perish.”
My life depends on my heart response to God’s holy word. O, that I might always learn to tremble at his voice and to consider deeply what he says, for… I’m hungry for this “Blessedness!”
