Right at the beginning of the Book of Psalms, God describes for us the man who will be blessed of the Lord.  When we think of blessings, near the top of our list would surely be happiness and great joy.  It is interesting that the person who will receive the deep joy that he desires in his life must find a genuine delight in God’s Word.  Let us delight in studying God’s Word together today.  First of all, Psalm 1:1 tells us what the blessed person does not do: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  Simple, direction warnings that we are to heed if we are not to be among those who are lacking the title of "blessed man."  Verse two is the shining reversal.  The word But signals the contrast.  But, we are told, there is something that the blessed person does do.  It is not a list.  There are no systems of works or complicated requirements given to ensure God’s blessing.  No burdensome labor or activities are cited that could give rise to comparing one person’s works with those of another.  No, the list is just this: his delight is in the law of the Lord. Delight cannot truly be faked.  Heart delight is that deep, rich emotion and commitment within ourselves that overflows, influences and continues no matter what other negative feelings would try to crowd their way in.  This spiritual delight can be a true secret to victory in our lives.  It causes direction and purpose that pleases the Lord.  It will steer us toward those things that are honoring to God and away from those that would bring destruction and misery.  When our delight is in the law of the Lord, we will not find joy in evil.  Conflicts in homes, churches and individual lives would have no room for growth if real joy was sewn deep within the hearts of the believers involved.  Instead, delight would be found in unity, purity and the blessings of God.  Let us pause and consider today: Lord, what is my true delight?  What is ruling my heart today?  Is my delight unto the Lord first of all?  Has Jesus become my All in All, the One who, as the Living Word of God, rules and reigns in my life?  Am I full of the joy of anticipation in meeting with the Lord each day and each night?  Have I set aside a time reserved just for meditation on the law of the Lord, an appointment that I gladly keep?  Do I delight in His Word even when it reveals to me areas that I need to change?  Is my joy so real that it overflows to others as I share what God has taught me? "Lord, help me to delight in Your law and meditate in it day and night that I might be blessed of You."

Psalm 1:3 contains a list of blessings that God will give to the person who delights in the law of the Lord.  The verse starts with the word "and."  The idea conveyed is that of a continuous action.  The person delights in the law of the Lord "and" these blessings naturally follow that blessed person.  The blessings walk hand in hand with our true motivation of delighting in the Lord.  God uses the illustration that the blessed person is like a tree planted by the rivers of waters.  It is easy for us to picture a sturdy yet graceful tree flourishing by the riverside.  No stunted growth there, no withered, dying limbs, no brown or dried out leaves.  It is a picture of rest, peace and strength.  In Jeremiah 17, verses 5-8 speak of the same tree in contrast to the worldly heath or bush.  Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.  For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the Lord is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.  As a believer, we have been taken out of the parched desert of sin where we would have withered and died, and have been transplanted by the loving work of God, to the riverside.  The spiritual river we are planted by is flowing with deep, clear living water.  We are totally changed from a scrubby bush to a graceful tree.  Jeremiah says the tree spreadeth out her roots.  She is so thirsty for the waters of God that the roots go deep and wide, there is no shallowness in that tree.  The main tap root goes deep through the fertile soil until it is anchored in the source of life giving moisture.  As the tree is nourished, it grows strong and healthy.  What a vivid picture of a Christian who finds life giving water in the Lord, not only for salvation but for daily growth.  Are you thirsty for the Lord today?  Are you firmly anchored to Him?  In the storms of life, a desert bush becomes a tumbleweed, pulled up by its shallow roots to toss and tumble with no hope of recovery.  But our strong tree by the riverside will not be destroyed.  It may bend in the storm or lose a few small branches, but because its roots are by the riverside and its tap root is deeply anchored, it will still be standing when the storm passes by.  If you are tempted to be discouraged today, picture yourself in the cool, peaceful river scene and reach out your roots deeper and wider.  Draw from the river that never will run dry!

This glorious verse is the answer to the cry of David’s enemies found in Psalm 3:2, who say, There is no help for him in God.  In spite of their mocking voices, David speaks with full confidence, But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me! What courage, confidence and faith it took for David to cry out his statement of trust!  How often do we find ourselves in the midst of a world that says, "There is no help for you in God.  Try the world’s ways.  Come on, God is not real, and even if there was a God, He would not help you."  But at all times, whether in triumph, tragedy, trials or troubles, God IS our help.  He does not just give us help: He is our help.  When we are in a battle, He is the shield and in Him there is no flaw.  It is not as if there are hidden cracks or weak weldings in our shield that would easily crack if a spear hit it in the wrong place.  God, Himself, is a perfect, strong and mighty shield and that just for us.  No trial or attack can startle or fool Him.  On a farm in a windy valley, the farmer plants a wind break of trees to form a shield for his future crops.  So it is not only in the battle array, but in the winds and storms of life that God has already placed Himself as our shield, our wind break, our shelter, so that we can flourish.  He alone is our glory; our prime source, our beloved Leader, our shining example.  His glory will light the way even today.  No darkness of trouble can hide the shining of His glorious light.  What a beautiful picture the last phrase of our verse gives to us.  It shows the soldier wounded in the battle and the loving Captain Himself coming to him.  The Captain gently kneels down and lifts up the soldier’s head.  He applies the healing Balm of Gilead, and refreshes the weary one with a drink of living water.  All the while, the Captain continues to gently cradle the soldier in His arms.  Have you been wounded on the field of trial?  Feel His gentle loving arms around you.  Look up into the eyes of your Captain.  He is our All in All, our Shield, our Leader, our Helper, and our God.

Day in and day out we go to sleep at night and awaken in the morning. It is a routine of life. What, then, is so special about this verse?  David wrote these words while he was in great trouble.  He was driven out of Jerusalem, fleeing from Absalom and his army.  He could have been filled with dread, discouragement, depression and despair.  His sleep could have been robbed from him by constant nagging thoughts, but instead David says that he laid himself down and slept!  In times of distress Satan easily robs us of our sleep and we are left weary.  Think of how easy it is to fall for temptation or fear when we are weary and lose sleep.  Think of the "terrors of the night," those whispered, exaggerated fears that we would not listen to in the day.  Often times we carry to bed with us a very strange bedfellow, his name is Worry.  We fail to cast our burdens on the Lord.  We do not truly lay down our heavy load.  We fall asleep without prayer, without trusting our Captain to watch over the battle field for us while our watch duty is given totally to Him.  Yet David laid down, slept and awakened refreshed because he trusted in the Lord.  The Lord ministered in that rest, sustaining David for the battle to come, all the while keeping His watch duty in faithfulness.  Each day we need to so totally put our lives, our cares, our worries and battles in the Lord’s hands that we can rest in Him.  Only in this way will we have "strength for the morrow."  Psalm 4:8 adds: I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.  If your heart is heavy with the load of care, take it to Jesus.  When in the night you can not hold up your shield of faith because of weariness, the Holy Spirit will do it for you, if you hand it over to Him before you fall asleep.  Then you can lay down like a sweet babe, calmly asleep in his mother’s arms.  He knows he is safe, he has total trust in his provider and protector.  We can have that same sweet sleep, no matter what the trials of yesterday or tomorrow hold.  Our security is not in ourselves, it is in the Lord.  We are safe in the arms of Jesus!

Our eternal and our present salvation can only come from the Lord.  He has said, there is no Saviour beside me (Hosea 13:4), and safety is of the Lord (Proverbs 21:31).  As Christian women, we have already acknowledged that eternal salvation belongs to the Lord.  We did that on the day of our salvation when we trusted God alone with our eternal destiny and claimed Christ’s full atonement price on the Cross of Calvary.  But how many times do we look elsewhere for present "salvation" or deliverance from a problem of life.  Too often we turn to other means or persons to try to save us from present trials.  We fret or scheme or try to solve it ourselves.  Some turn to the world for escape or listen to false counsel.  We must remember that even "good" methods: doctors, family, friends or counsel, can not be used correctly unless the Lord is sought first.  All advise or counsel must be weighed in light of the clear teachings of the Word of God.  No matter how wise the counsel may sound or how impossible others say God’s methods are, we must put our total trust in the Lord.  Once we accept His counsel, we must pray for the strength to uphold it.  God wants to bless us, to deliver us, to give us His riches, but we must acknowledge that salvation belongeth unto the Lord, and to Him alone.  Don’t fall for Satan’s deceits today!  It would be like trusting your fate to a frayed rope thrown to you while you are stranded on the cliff of disaster.  You see the strands slowly but surely pulling apart.  Then you look at the face of the one holding that rope and you see the grinning, mocking face of your worst enemy, the very one who sought to push you off the cliff in the first place.  Surely you would not carelessly reach for such an unsure method of escape.  Instead you would cast your eye about and see that strong and steady hand reached out to you belonging to the Lord of all power, your mighty Deliverer, the One who has never failed you nor forsaken you.  Which salvation will you choose in the trial of life today?  The frayed rope or the strong hand of your God!  Lord, help me to cast my eyes upon You in times of trouble and know the joy of Your salvation!

What an appropriate locket verse: Thou hast put gladness in my heart.  The Lord wants to give us joy and gladness tucked deep within us, down safely in our hearts.  From that deep place within, the gladness should overflow.  Some have found temporary happiness in other things, even as we often do.  But that gladness is dependent on circumstances: on a good crop, enough money, a good personal relationship, health, worldly success.  But circumstances can and do change.  One year there is abundant corn and the next a drought.  But our God is the same "yesterday, today and forever."  His gladness in our hearts makes all other happiness real.  When we have the Lord’s joy, each pleasure of life is more precious.  Let God put His gladness in your heart today, no matter what the circumstances of life.  Let us not be like the person we could call the "circumstance dependent Christian."  He is the one who will be all bubbles, smiles and rejoicing when things are going "his" way.  But let the first clouds of adversity or trial overshadow his sky and his steps will falter.  The rejoicing will turn to sour criticism of the Lord.  He will not pause to consider the life giving moisture in the clouds sent for his strength and nourishment, or the shade from the hotter scorching of the heat of temptation that might prove too great without God’s overshadowing love, or the glow of the rainbow of promise waiting on the other side of the trial when victory is found.  No, all he can see is the circumstance.  Let us be the glad and victorious overcomer that God will continue to bless, trusting in Him who alone can control the storms of life.  I have a locket that contains a picture of two of my grandchildren.  I like to gently push in the clasp, unlatch the locket and gaze at the picture.  It comforts and gladdens me.  Picture the loving Lord, gently unclasping the lock we often try to keep closed on our heart.  See Him quietly look within.  With kindness and love, He shines a light on His perfect image dwelling there, so that we can gaze upon it when we need that quiet moment of reassurance.  Gaze on it today, draw gladness from within.  He is there!

This verse is underlined and starred in my Bible.  It could be a theme verse for our lives.  This is no picture of long faces, sour looks, downcast and concern.  It also leaves no room for backbiting, divisions, scheming or talebearing.  Nor does it imply selfishness, pride or haughtiness.  Instead, we see the people of God, all those that put their trust in the Lord, rejoicing and shouting for joy.  It is a great picture, but is it a reality in our lives?  If we were so filled with joy as in this verse, we would have no time or room for the negative temptations that would rob us of that joy.  God defends us, we do not have to do it ourselves.  We usually think of defense from physical danger, but He defends all areas of our lives: physical, spiritual and emotional.  If we allow Him to be our emotional defense and shield, He also will defend our joy.  When we let Satan, like a thief, climb over the wall of joy God places around us, we lose more than joy.  We lose victory, peace, direction and all that goes with the blessings of those that put their trust in the Lord.  If there is any area where we have lost our joy, where we have forgotten to love the Lord, let us give it to the Lord and ask His forgiveness.  When we do that, His marvelous joy will flood in, replacing bitterness, despair, concern or worry.  There can be no coldness where the warmth of joy abides.  Stop for a moment and repeat this verse, then imagine the picture of the people of the Lord rejoicing, shouting for joy.  What a happy scene it is, filled with exuberant people, those whose innermost gladness spills over to outward expression.  The entire throng is safe from the attacks of the world, sheltered in the encompassing care of their God.  In the middle of the city square of the temple of their Heavenly King, they shout for all to hear: "We are trusting in our God and He gives us joy!"  They are EVER shouting for joy.  Though the storm clouds gather, though the winds blow, though the sun shines clearly on the pathway ahead, they continue to praise their God.  Can you sense the excitement, taste of the pleasure?  Are you one of the joyful today?  You can be.  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  I Corinthians 2:9.