Head: Know God's Word | Heart: Love God | Hands: Follow God's Way

Read Psalms 1-2

Head

The Psalms are full of beautiful language with lots of imagery that helps paint a picture of what the author is trying to convey. The Psalms are poems and songs, personal stories, and testaments to who God is and what He does in people’s lives. As we begin reading through the Psalms, the first image we are presented with is a tree planted along a river. This tree is healthy, bearing fruit with leaves that never wither. This tree represents people who choose to “delight in the law of The Lord.” The wicked, those who are not striving to follow Jesus, are scattered by the wind and their path leads to destruction. Psalm 1 is a personal perspective—a life with God, vs. a life separate from God. Psalm 2 describes the kingdom of God; a kingdom we get to be a part of if we choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. A kingdom that cannot be destroyed. But this Psalm also reminds us that people will plot and fight against us as Christians. It’s a hard reminder, but important to remember that God cannot be conquered, He will not be defeated.

Heart

Have you ever been really thirsty or hungry? When you finally got a drink of water or a bite of food you probably felt immediately better. Now think about the tree planted right by the river. That tree can drink water anytime it wants to. It is probably full, satisfied, and thriving! That is what God does for us! He provides for us!
God also has provided us with a kingdom to be a part of! It means no matter what, we are not alone as believers. Our world today looks different than it did when The Bible was written. Our world has grown a lot, and the kingdom is not the same as it used to be. But the kingdom of God is still made up of hundreds, thousands, and millions of believers all over the world. When we think about God’s kingdom today, we can think to the future when one day, God will defeat the Devil for good and we will all be united.

Hands

Think about the tree planted on the river and imagine yourself as the tree. Instead of water, you are soaking up things God has to offer that are life-giving. What would some of those things be? (The Bible, prayer, safety, encouragement, worship.) For younger kids, have them draw a picture of a tree near a river and together write words that describe what gives us life as believers.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for providing for us. When we have needs, help us learn to bring those to You. Give us confidence to know You listen to us. We want to rely on You daily and soak up what You are teaching us, like a tree soaks up water. We love you, Amen.