“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
—Psalm 1:2 ESV

Psalm 1 speaks of the person who is blessed (see verse 1).

The defining characteristic of this person is this: they delight in the law of the Lord (“instruction,” i.e. the Scriptures of that time) and meditate on it day and night.

Meditation is an ancient practice that appears all over the Bible and is key for anyone who wants to grow closer to God.

The word translated “meditate” in Psalm 1:2 is the Hebrew “hagah”, which literally means to “murmur” or “mutter”, something we do when we just can’t get an idea out of our mind and we find ourselves repeating it under our breath.

To meditate on the Scriptures is to take a short passage, phrase or word and reflect on it over a period of time, repeating it in our mind like an idea we can’t let go of.

And when we meditate on the Word of God we become like a tree that extends its roots into an abundant and inexhaustible source of life (see verse 3).

Here is a simple prayer to carry with you today:

Breathe in: God,
Breathe out: I delight in your word.

P.S. I’ll be posting a longer article about the practice of meditation this Friday, so stay tuned!