True Well-Being
Opening Prayer
Lord, help me to understand that true happiness comes from fearing and obeying God.
Read PSALM 128
1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children—
peace be on Israel.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“Those who drink the water I give them will never thirst” (John 4:14).
Think Further
Social commentators spend a lot of time telling us about one obvious fact: that everyone wants to be happy. The issue of well-being,that of personal fulfillment and happiness, is now a cottage industry in the Western world. For the past few years the “world happiness index” has been published and well-being festivals are being hosted in soccer arenas. Our bookshops carry a host of titles about mindfulness and inner harmony. We all want to be happy.
Today’s psalm provides the answer to such human longing. With the beautiful simplicity of Hebrew poetry, the secret to happiness is declared in its opening refrain: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him” (1). The psalm demonstrates that God’s blessing embodies personal well-being (2) and also the family setting, which in the Hebrew context was a sign of blessing, not least because of the security and destiny which children provided (3). The song extends the reach of God’s blessings still further, encompassing
the nation itself: “may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem” (5). The way to such blessing is first through a commitment to “fear the Lord” (1,4). Such reverence for the Lord can mean only one thing: he takes first place. We let God be God. As Jesus would later express it, seek first God’s kingdom and then other things will find their place (Matt. 6:33). Second, we should “walk in obedience” (1). The way to discover true fulfillment is to live the life for which God designed us—to serve the Lord who has redeemed us.
It is a simple refrain, yet it holds the secret of that which men and women the world over are seeking. True blessing comes from fearing and obeying the Lord.
Apply
Spend a moment seeking the Lord’s help for these two significant qualities—fearing and obeying—so that our lives today may enjoy his blessing.
Closing prayer
Lord, please bless the work of my hands as I endeavor to raise up godly children who will carry Your work into the next generation.
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