Lenten Devotion (5) 

30 March 2022 

 

​

PSALM 1: THE TWO WAYS OF LIFE

​

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalm 1:6 (MEV)

​

The book of Psalms is the prayer book of the Bible, the hymnal of ancient Israel. Psalm 1 is the faithful doorkeeper and the entrance leading into the sanctuary of praise known as the book of Psalms. This is a Psalm about how to prosper in life. When students begin college, there is a time of orientation, a time to get them ready for everything that will follow in their higher education. That is what Psalm 1 does for us. It orients us to the instruction that will follow in the rest of the journey of life, and it simplifies all the complexities of life into two alternatives. It clearly puts that in the world, there are only two ways of living; living according to the law of the Lord or living according to the counsel of the wicked.

​

Those who walk in the ways of the Lord will flourish, and those who walk in the way of wickedness will flounder. The wicked are autonomous, people who create their own moral code. They are those who do what is right in their own eyes. They say to God, “Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways. They choose their own path, and determine what is right and what is wrong by means of their own judgment. They refuse to be guided by the word of God.

​

The righteous are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked against the counsel of God. They orient their life around the word of God. (Verse 2) If they step off this road, they quickly come back on the path through repentance. David is such an example, when he stumbled violently off the path, he was able to quickly come back on the path of God through confession. David repented, and once again made his heart steadfast to walk in the way of God. In Psalm 51:12, he pleaded “Restore me to the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey your law’’ That is why David was called a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22)

 

Like David, the righteous are those who realise their own faults and come out of it in repentance before God. That is why they are depicted as a tree rooted along a stream of water, which yields its fruit in season. The. leaves do not wither, and whatever they do prosper. (Psalm 1:3) The pathway of righteousness is the only path to life. This season of Lent provides an opportunity to all of us as Christians to re-examine our lives and come before God in prayer and repentance. As members of the GSFA, the road we choose, the way of life we pursue, the voice we obey makes all the difference. Let us all be firm on the way of the Lord.

 

If we choose the wrong road, we will be like chaff that the wind blows away. May God help us to be rooted in the stream of God’s Word which is superior to the words of man. The Word of God is where the “blessed man” finds his hope, and it is what we need to cleave to. As Christians, it is important for us to know that above all earthly wisdom and thought, we can run to the Word of God and find truth and life. We must be born again with His life, filled with His Holy Spirit, and then discipled into His daily food and water - the Word of God. This is the path to maturity, substance, and true prosperity. The Lord is aware of where we are going.

 

“For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Verse 6)

 

It is so comforting to know that God cares about you and me and that if we call on the Name of the Lord that we will be saved (Acts 2:21).

​

In conclusion, let us all know that above everything, our bread and food for life is found in one place – the Word of God. As Christians, let it be our delight to meditate on the law of the Lord day and night during this Lent period, in the name of God, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

​

​

Contributed by:
The Most Revd Dr Justin Badi Arama

Archbishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan

Chairman, Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA).

​

​

​

​

​