Yesterday, my husband came home tired after a long Monday. If he had just gotten more sleep, he wouldn’t have been so weary. We headed to bed early in an attempt to make up for the lost hours from the previous night. Surprisingly, he woke this morning saying he slept well but still felt tired…

Have you ever felt that way? Sometimes, I don’t think its the amount of sleep we’ve acquired, but the busyness of our days.We can’t find a place to rest, because our lives require so much running. When we get home, it’s as if we can finally breathe. We slouch down in our couches, extend the footrest, and turn on the T.V. There, in our living rooms we find a place to let the exhaustion hit. For some of us, it’s an every day or every week syndrome. Don’t you ever feel like there’s something deeper that we’re missing? Our lives weren’t meant to revolve around a cycle of Mondays and work weeks and living room escapes.–No, our lives as Christians have a much greater purpose!

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

I don’t know about you, but that place, the one with the stream and the tree resting overhead, that’s a place I could really close my eyes and find deep relaxation. The Psalmist here uses this picture for a purpose. See, the tree is supposed to be our lives. Crazy, huh? I don’t think my life always feels so peaceful. I certainly don’t feel firmly planted or yielding of fruit. I don’t feel the peace of a constant stream in my day to day, and yet, according to this passage, we as Christians should feel this metaphor lived out in our lives.

So if that’s not us, why are we missing this promise found in God’s Word? The answer is presented in those first verses.

1. Are you thinking over passages found in Scripture on daily basis? This is bigger than just devotions. The verse says “meditates day and night”. It’s talking about memorizing God’s Word, using it throughout our day to provide us with guidance.

2. Do you indulge in a lifestyle contrary to God’s Word? These verses clearly describe the life of a righteous man. They don’t apply to those walking along a sinful path or to those that won’t defend God’s Word before their peers. A righteous person has to live a life of bold contrast, and in that way, we find deep satisfaction.

Over the next two weeks, we’re going to continue the search for our roots. Ironically, God promises believers a root system that brings steadiness to our lives. We don’t always feel those promises played out, but sometimes that’s because we’ve missed our target. God provides directives in His Word to guide us. We simply need to follow through with what He expects from us as believers. When we listen, we enjoy the results of a foundation firmly planted.