I was reading my bible the other day and I came across the scripture in Psalm 1. It is one scripture I have read so many times and have memorized it as a child. The portion that got my thinking is verses 2 and 3. It says in the CEV version

Instead, the Law of the Lord makes them happy, and they think about it day and night. They are like trees growing beside a stream, trees that produce fruit in season and always have leaves. Those people succeed in everything they do

I do not know what it is but these 2 verses hit me very differently when I read it.

The first part, “the law of the Lord makes them happy, and they think about it day and night”, means God’s word gives you joy and it's always on your mind. How often do you feel joy when you read the scriptures? How many times do you rush to read the scriptures because it excites you and you are eager to see what the word has for you each time you read it. When was the last time you felt any excitement when you read the word? Do you just go through the motion of doing devotion because you need to do it to fulfil all righteousness? Or do you genuinely look forward to the time you spend reading the word.

To be honest I do not get excited all the time. I get into those moments when I am looking forward to what God is going to reveal to me and I get excited. I will read while cooking, while brushing my teeth and folding laundry. I also have those times when I read my bible because I have to. Don’t judge me, I'm human! Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be excited because of the word all the time? I wish we could. My earnest prayer is that I am always happy whenever I think about his words and look forward to reading it.

The second part, “They are like trees growing beside a stream, trees that produce fruit in season and always have leaves. Those people succeed in everything they do”. Trees planted by water always have unlimited access to water which is necessary to their survival. The amount of water they get is never too much to overwhelm them but just right to make sure they keep flourishing. They are connected deep to the source and thus even though it is not the season to bear fruit they still flourish. The tree that is planted has both fruit bearing and no fruit bearing season, but it always flourishes (has leaves). This statement gives me hope. It makes me realize that if I am planted in Jesus I will always flourish. I may not always bear fruit, but I will always succeed in everything I do.

We make the mistake where we think that if we are not bearing fruit we are not prospering? But that is not the case. Ecc. 3v1 says

“For everything there is a season, A time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest”.

Think about it this way, when a tree is not bearing fruit, it is growing. For every season of your life where you think you are stagnant, do not forget that it is at the time when it looks like nothing is happening that a tree grows so it is ready to bear fruit in its season.

Remember this, there is no time of stagnancy when you are planted by the water (God). You will always flourish and succeed in all you do.