Firmly Planted
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:1-2
We have established that God has called you as a single parent and head of your home to leadership, that He is with you, and that He desires to speak words of encouragement to you. You know you must rely on His strength to lead your family courageously. How does that look in your daily life? How do you gain that strength of spirit Joshua had? How do you remain firmly planted? Psalm 1 quoted above closely parallels the same concept we read in Joshua 1.
When one sees repetitions in the Bible, it is time to pay close attention!
Look back at Joshua 1:7. God, after encouraging Joshua to be strong and courageous, also tells Joshua how to receive strength and success for the journey. It reads “be careful to do all according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you: do not turn from it to the right or left, so that you may have success wherever you go”. How does Joshua know the law or (law may be better interpreted as the “book of instruction”)?
Immersion in God’s Word
In verse 8 God tells Joshua to meditate on it (the law) day and night and not let it depart from his mouth. The meaning of the word meditate may be different in this context than what we think of. Meditate meant to “ponder, use, involving half-aloud reading and rereading of the Word”. There is no substitute for reading God’s Word for yourself.
I understand time constraints and there were seasons in my life when it felt like I was doing all I could to keep my head above water, but that is when I needed the nourishment God’s Word gave even more. Do not starve your soul! Nourish it every day with the bread of life. Deuteronomy 8:3 (NASB 1995) reads,
He humbled you and let you be hungry and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Set yourself up for success which means planning for your time with God whether that is early morning or when you go to bed. Plan for incidental times as well. Keep a Bible or devotional in your car. If you are shuttling kids around, there is often wait time you can put to good use.
Ask For Wisdom
Flip back from Joshua 1 to Deuteronomy 34:9, “Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him”. Jesus figuratively lays His hands on us depositing the Holy Spirit in us. God will give you the spirit of wisdom as well when you ask for it. Some of my favorite verses are from James 1:5-8 (NASB 1995).
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Single parenting and co-parenting take immense wisdom. There are so many difficult circumstances as you work for the best interest of your children. What battles do you fight? What do you let go of? You also do not have the luxury of asking a spouse when you encounter decisions or direction in regard to your children. Take advantage of your circumstance and take it to the Lord who loves your children even more than you can comprehend. Jesus came to this earth, as it says in Isaiah 11:2 with “The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength”. When you ask for wisdom on big things and small things, He will respond. I constantly write questions to God in my journal. He has been so faithful to guide our family.
Reflection
- How can you be proactive in preparing for your times with God?
- What areas do you need godly wisdom in right now? Write down your requests and present them to God!
Feel free to comment below and share how you plan for your time with God!
Click on the left picture for some healthy nourishment for your physical being as well. This is one of our go to muffin recipes that is often requested when we share them with others.
For more recipes, click here.
