Psalm 1 - A Cracked Pillar

God, I know that Psalms 1 and 2 are the Pillar Psalms upon which the rest of the Psalter is built. While Psalm 2 will establish that there are two types of Kingdoms, Psalm 1 establishes that, when boiled down to its essence, there are two types of people - the righteous and the wicked - and that the one is blessed and prospers while the other is like dried and useless chaff.  

But God, what is at the essence, doesn’t always appear this way in reality. In other words, life isn’t always as clean as Psalm 1 would seem to indicate. It doesn’t make the essence of Psalm 1 untrue, but like the rest of the Psalter would make abundantly evident, life doesn’t always look like Psalm 1. We are frustrated because we oftentimes see the wicked prospering. And we are (and should be) equally frustrated as we see the righteous on the losing side of life - mourning death, mourning loss, mourning, injustices, mourning financial instability, mourning disease (and countless other losses).  

In fact, the lament Psalms throughout the Psalter are lamenting that reality doesn’t seem to line up with the image of Psalm 1.  

But God, help me to live for a day when Psalm 1 will be the reality. Help me long for a day when every wrong will be right and where there will be no more mourning.  

And God, in the meantime, I mourn the fact that, in reality, I am both people of Psalm 1 - the righteous and the wicked. If I am honest with my heart, I delight in righteousness while also finding great delight in wickedness. No one ever twists my arm to sin. I delight to do so. 

 
But God, thank you that there was One who was perfectly righteous. Thank you a million times over that when you look at me (this cocktail of righteousness and wickedness) that you see the perfect righteousness of your Son. In him alone I stand, walk, and delight.  

Amen