Traffic Meditations

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Psalm 1:1–3 (KJV) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

What It Is Speaking to Me

Don't get jealous, but I usually don't have to sit in traffic during my work week. So when I end up having to, I am a real wimp about it, not like you battle-hardened traffic veterans. It makes me crabby, and I spend the time mostly annoyed. Now, we all know traffic doesn't make me act or feel anything, I choose to allow it to get to me...but that is perhaps a subject for another devotional.

The point is that traffic is part of our lives. Or maybe, to make a more encompassing distinction, our lives are full of transition times: to and from work, waiting in lines, waiting in offices, walking, running. Or even mundane tasks like cleaning, mowing grass, or dusting (people do that still, right??)

Those times can be spent in annoyance, frustration, anger, whining — essentially wimpy behavior. Or they can be spent like the psalmist encourages: meditating on the Word of God. Meditating on the Word can take on a lot of forms and involve a lot of different methods. The point of any successful method or form is to get the Word of God deeply settled in the heart and mind. It may involve memorization (gasp!), repetition, contemplation, prayer, or actual meditation (not while driving, please!).

What if we took all those long or short transition times in our day and filled them with the Word of God? The psalmist tells us we will be like a tree planted by living water. That sounds refreshing, doesn't it? Doesn't it sound nice to be refreshed during a time of day that we usually fill with feelings of frustration or annoyance?

I mean hey, if traffic is going to happen anyway...why not spend it by living water?

What Is It Saying to You?

How many transitions do you have in your day?

How do you spend them?

How often do you really contemplate the Word?

What Are We Going to Do About It?

Choose one verse from this passage to repeat and meditate on during moments of transition today (e.g., driving, waiting, cleaning, mowing, walking, etc.).