God has invited us to have fellowship with Him, but we have also seen the huge gap between His thoughts and our thoughts. The first step to align our thoughts with Him, is through repentance. In connection with this process, I want to introduce you to another important Biblical word which is the word, "meditation." I want to suggest to you that meditation actually means, in the Bible, learning to think God's way, and meditation opens the door to God's favor and blessing.
In Joshua 1, verse 8, God told this to Joshua:
“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (NIV)
The Word of God had to fill Joshua's mind. He had to think in terms of God's Word all the time. Then he had to speak it out with his mouth and he had to follow it up with corresponding action, but it started in his mind. The key was right meditation. The promise for right meditation is, "then you will be prosperous and successful." That's the pine and the myrtle coming up in place of the thorn and the brier.
And then in the first Psalm there's this beautiful opening passage which really sets the key note for the whole of Psalms. Psalm 1, verses 1 thru 3:
“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 sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (NIV)
Notice, there are three things that such a man must not do. He must not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. In other words, he must renounce man's ways and thoughts, and he must in turn replace those with God's ways and thoughts which come to him through the law of the Lord and he has to meditate on it day and night. He has to fill his mind with God's thoughts and God's ways. And when he does that, then this beautiful promise is given. It's similar to the promise that we've already looked at in Isaiah 55. Such a man is like a tree planted by streams of water, yields his fruit in season, his leaf does not wither. He's always blessed. He's always flourishing. He's always fresh. He doesn't know withering. He doesn't know barrenness. Such things are not his portion and it's all summed up in that simple, beautiful phrase, "Whatever he does prospers." Would you like to be like that? God has shown us the key. It's to let His Word come into our hearts and minds and meditate on it day and night. Replace our ways and thoughts with His thoughts and the result is, whatever we do will prosper.
Lord, give me a new, greater hunger to your Word so that I keep it in my heart, and it will not differ from my mouth and that it will affect my actions. I praise You that in my ways I will achieve my goals and prosper. I thank you for Your Word that remains forever. Help me, Lord, to never seek my counsel from the wicked, not to deal with mockers, but rather to find joy in Your Word and your Law.
