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Preface to God’s Hymnal – Psalm 1
Have you ever read the preface to the hymnal used in your church? Very few people ever do. All we’re concerned about is singing the songs. The preface to God’s hymnal (the Book of Psalms) is Psalm 1. It begins with a word we use so often—blessed. God blesses individuals. Nowhere does Scripture tell us that God blesses programs or promotions. He blesses people. He blessed Abraham so Abraham might be a blessing to others. And God blesses you so you might bless others.
What you delight in is what will direct your life. What delights you will eventually direct you, so be careful what you enjoy. The blessed person delights in the law of the Lord (v. 2). He delights so much in the Word of God that he meditates on it during the day. Meditation is to your soul what digestion is to your body. It means assimilating the Word of God.
The blessed person is like a tree (v. 3). A tree has roots. The most important part of your life is your “root system.” Don’t be like the ungodly, who are like chaff (v. 4). Chaff doesn’t have any roots. It is blown away by every wind that comes along. You don’t want to be that kind of person. Your root system is important because it determines your nourishment. It also determines your stability and your strength when the storm comes and the wind starts to blow.
People can’t see your root system, but God can. Praying and meditating on the Word of God will cause you roots to go down deep into the love of God.
When God Laughs – Psalm 2
Are you surprised to learn that God laughs? “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision” (v. 4). God has a sense of humor, but this laughter is the kind that is born of judgment. It’s the laughter of derision, the laughter of irony. What is God laughing at? He’s laughing at puny little kings and rulers who have united to shake their fists at the throne of God and tell God they don’t want Him to rule over them (vv. 2, 3). God laughs at them because He knows man cannot survive without submitting to his authority. Man is made in the image of God. If he fights against God, man is fighting against himself because he is made in God’s image. Man tries to make God in his own image. He thinks God can be treated with disdain and disobedience. And God laughs.
You and I can laugh when we read the headlines or watch the TV reports. We see a world in turmoil, a world united against God. But we can laugh because God is still on the throne. “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion” (v. 6). Jesus Christ is God’s king, and He is on the throne. Therefore, you and I can look at the nations as they are in turmoil, as they unite against God, and we can smile—in fact, we can laugh. They are fighting a losing battle. Jesus Christ is on the throne of the universe, and we who are Christians are seated with Him on that throne.
© Warren Wiersbe
Dr. Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019) was an internationally known Bible teacher, author, and conference speaker. He graduated in 1953 from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. While attending seminary, he was ordained as pastor of Central Baptist Church in 1951 and served until 1957. From September 1957 to 1961, Wiersbe served as Director of The Literature Division for Youth for Christ International. From 1961 to 1971 he pastored Calvary Baptist Church of Covington, Kentucky south of Cincinnati, Ohio. His sermons were broadcast as the “Calvary Hour” on a local Cincinnati radio station. From 1971 to 1978, He served as the pastor of Moody Church in Chicago 1971 to 1978. While at Moody Church he continued in radio ministry. Between August 1979 and March 1982, he wrote bi-weekly for Christianity Today as “Eutychus X”, taught practical theology classes at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and wrote the course material and taught a Doctor of Ministry course at Trinity and Dallas Seminary. In 1980 he transitioned to Back to the Bible radio broadcasting network where he worked until 1990. Dr. Wiersbe became Writer in Residence at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids and Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. In his lifetime, Dr. Wiersbe wrote over 170 books—including the popular Be series, which has sold over four million copies. Dr. Wiersbe was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).