The Blessed Life
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “How joyful are those who fear the Lord—all who follow his ways!” Psalm 128:1 NLT
The clear message of this psalm of ascent is that those who honor the Lord, who “fear” the Lord, who follow His ways are a blessed and joyful people. The ways of the Lord are designed for our good, our protection and well-being. I am remind of the words of Psalm 144:15 (NKJV) “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.” In these verses and others we see the Lord’s desire for us is to experience a life of joy and peace.
The blessings of the Lord are seen in the Lord’s provision, “You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!” (Psalm 128:2 NLT) This is seen in contrast to those who refuse to follow the Lord, to obey His ways and they see all that they have worked for vanish and come to naught. The prophet warned, “You will plant crops but not harvest them. You will press your olives but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves. You will trample the grapes but get no juice to make your wine.” (Micah 6:15 NLT)
Then we see the blessing of the Lord on families. “Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.” (Psalm 128:3 NLT) God has established the family to reflect His character to show His love and to experience His satisfaction. The greatest heartaches in life can come when the family is in turmoil; when there is conflict in marriage, when children are in rebellion. This is contrary to the Lord’s desire as we place Him first and seek to honor Him in all of our ways.
That is why we read, “That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him.” (Psalm 128:4 NLT) When there is peace “in the home” and all is well with the family, you realize it is not because of human achievement.
The summary of the joy that comes from following the Lord is seen in the final verses, “May the Lord continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.
May Israel have peace!” (Psalm 128:5,6 NLT)
Prayer for today… Lord, remind us that true joy comes from following You and trusting in You. My Your blessings from the “heavenly Jerusalem” flow in the lives of all those who make You their refuge and source of life.