By Pastor Jomo Cousins, PhD
Psalm 1:1 (AMP):
1 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers).
In this opening psalm, the author tells us right away to be selective about whom we allow in our lives. As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together,” meaning people who are alike tend to do things together. So, we have to be cautious about who gets our company and our ear, because some ‘birds’ might end up having a bigger influence on us than we do on them.
The psalm also implies that we should carefully consider where to stand, when to take a stand, and for whom to stand. Being connected to the wrong people can pull a growing business down. We are the average of our friends and company, so make sure to choose them wisely.
The last part of this Scripture addresses where we choose to sit or plant ourselves. Remember, we make impressions based not just on where we sit, but also based on who is sitting beside us. Sitting with someone implies that we have a deeper connection with them, so the psalmist wanted to remind us that our decisions about whom we spend our time with can progress to different levels. First, we might walk past someone, then we might end up standing next to them and, eventually, we might sit longer with them and begin to copy their ways.
Prayer:
Father God, I pray for the wisdom and discernment to choose the proper alliances, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Except from: 60 Prayers in 60 Seconds, Page 12.
