As I get older I see more and more of the truths I read in the Bible play out around me. Here’s one I’ve noticed lately:

Blessed in the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

The older I’ve gotten the more I appreciate how this works. I’m privileged to know men and women who take the Scriptures seriously and spend time in them daily. They think through what they read and apply it to their lives. These folks pray for others using passages from the Bible, and they spend a lot of time doing unto others as would be done unto them.

And in one way or another each one prospers. None live without tragedy or pain, and many face challenges with family or personal health. Some are what I consider wealthy, others not so much. Yet each one has a home, many friends, and a powerful hope in the future.

Which all points to flourishing. Taking pleasure in the law of the Lord nourishes what’s most important. The prosperity experienced pours out on others, a prosperity not focused on career or wealth or fame, but on the Lord and the people around us.

Psalm 1 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by todd kent