Meditation and Its Promises
2 But his delight
is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalms 1:2–3 (NKJV)
God’s instruction to us is to meditate on His word day and night so that it is engraved in our hearts.
What is meditation?
According to www.dictionary.com, meditation is defined as continued or extended thought, reflection or contemplation. It goes beyond reading the Bible. We are expected to study the word and deliberate on it. In this way, we can deepen our relationship with God by having an understanding of His revelations. Meditation renews our minds, which changes our actions, habits and character. It helps us to be rid of bad habits and transform ourselves to adopt good habits.
In v3, God made some promises to us if we choose to obey his instructions of continuous meditation.
The first promise is that man shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Simply put, water is essential for survival and to be planted by an abundance of water is to be planted by a great reservior/source of life. This source of life is God. A connection to God as your life source provides you with His covenant promises such as contentment, good health, a healthy home, a good marriage, children, wealth, a healthy work environment and so much more. Furthermore, as a tree planted by the rivers of water, your sustenance is within your reach. And this sustenance is from several rivers, not one river. So once we have God, we are sustained in ALL areas of our lives.
The second promise is that man shall bring forth his fruit in its season. This means that whatever you do, the harvest will come at the right time, it will not be too early or too late. When you meditate on the word of God, the plans and vision He drops in your heart will be fulfilled at the set time He has ordained for them to be fulfilled.
The third promise is that man’s leaf will not wither. To wither is to shrivel, fade, decay whether as a natural process or as the result of exposure to excessive heat or drought (dictionary.com). To wither naturally is to age, which could mean a weaker body or mind amongst other things. Excessive heat or drought are. unfavourable external factors which in our lives could come in the form of an economic recession, unhealthy work place or home. Because God is our source of life, our relationship with Him shall not wither. And because we have a healthy relationship with Him, we thrive and are fruitful and in this state, we can be a blessing unto others by providing shade and protection .
His final promise is that whatever we do, we shall prosper. This is reiterated in Joshua 1:8, “this Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (NKJV). This almost sounds like whatever I do, whether it’s my calling or not, I will still prosper. What are your thoughts?
All these promises makes me wonder where we stand with our Christian faith in Nigeria. If we obey God’s instruction in v2, then we, as well as our neighbours should be witnesses to His promises in v3. For the number of Christians we have in the country, we should feel their impact in every industry across the nation. We should even feel their impact in our political offices. So why is it otherwise?
