The word “blessed” has become somewhat of a cliche in our society. Its meaning has become synonymous with social media posts of beautiful family portraits, expensive vacations, and amazing opportunities, all with the caption of #blessed. When someone says they are #blessed, they are usually referring to all the good things in their life that they have earned or received.
But what if you don’t have these good things? What if your family situation isn’t that beautiful? What if you’re struggling financially, living paycheck to paycheck, never able to go anywhere special or do anything nice? What if you feel like everyone is moving on and moving up in their lives, except you? Does this mean that you’re somehow #notblessed, that God doesn’t care about you enough to give you some of these good things?
Not at all. In this day and age, “blessed” has lost nearly all of its meaning. If we want to understand what it truly means to be blessed, we must turn to Scripture. And Psalm 1 is a great place to start.
The first psalm begins with,
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;” Psalm 1:1 ESV
The Hebrew word for “blessed” is esher, which actually refers to one’s happiness, contentment, satisfaction, and joy in the Lord,[1] rather than one’s prosperity in life. One is happy and content when they do not walk, stand, or sit as the wicked do. Pastor Steven Lawson writes that this list of actions to avoid illustrates a downward spiral into sin. Walking refers to one’s decisions, standing refers to one’s commitments, and sitting refers to one’s “settled attitudes of the heart.”[2]
To be truly blessed, we must not walk, stand, or sit in sin. But what are we to do? The second verse of the psalm tells us,
“but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night” Psalm 1:2
The joyful and satisfied man (or woman) reads and delights in the Word of God. The Hebrew word for “meditates” is haga, which is like onomatopoeia (when a word sounds like what it describes, e.g., buzz, splash, thump, etc.). It refers to muttering or murmuring, as if one was trying to ponder or process what they have read. We must have Scripture on our hearts, minds, and lips always, from morning to evening, if we want to experience true satisfaction and blessing.
Psalm 1 goes on to compare those who are blessed to a tree that is planted and rooted by streams. The tree prospers, for it produces fruit and its leaves do not wither (Psalm 1:3). Similarly, the one who is planted in God’s Word will prosper in their life. They will produce spiritual fruit, like joy, kindness, and peace, and they will find life and strength in the teachings of the Lord. On the other hand, those who are wicked are compared to chaff that is driven away by wind (Psalm 1:4). Chaff refers to grain husks that were separated from the grain in the threshing process. These husks were rather worthless, so they were discarded and burned.[3] Lawson writes,
“Accordingly, the wicked are empty, void, futile, unsubstantial, shallow, worthless, and, in the end, to be burned in the fire.”[4]
The wicked surely will burn, for, as the psalm states, “the wicked will not stand in the judgment,” (Psalm 1:5) and “the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:6). But those who are righteous, happy, and blessed will have a far better fate. They will enjoy eternity with a God who knows them (Psalm 1:6). This knowledge is more than just intellectual; it’s relational. The truly blessed will enjoy an intimate, personal relationship[5] with their Creator and Savior forever. What could be more of a blessing than that?
Let’s return to the original question – what does it mean to live a truly blessed life? The truly blessed woman is happy, full of joy, satisfied, and content in the Lord. She avoids sin and is rooted in God’s Word, delighting in and mediating on what she reads. She will bear fruit and have strength to endure through even the harshest of trials. And she looks forward to eternal fellowship and life with God. This is what a truly #blessed woman looks like. If you feel like you’re lacking something in your life, if you’re finding it hard to choose joy, if it feels like God is distant from you, turn to Scripture. Meditate on it. Delight in it. Be rooted in it. And do not walk, stand, or sit in the sins of those around you. God desires a close relationship with you. He desires for you to be truly blessed. And that all starts with reading His Word.
[1]Steven J. Lawson, Psalms 1-75, Holman Old Testament Commentary series, ed. Max Anders (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2003), 31.
[2]Ibid., 34.
[3]Ibid., 32 & 35.
[4]Ibid., 32.
[5]Ibid.
