Lent Day Twenty Three
“Stay Rooted—Faith and Resilience in Life’s Journey”
Psalm 1 The Passion Translation
1 What delight comes to those who follow God’s ways!
They won’t walk in step with the wicked,
nor share the sinner’s way,
nor sits in the circle of scoffers.
2 Their pleasure and passion is remaining true
to the Word of “I Am,”
meditating day and night in his true revelation of light.
3 They will be standing firm like a flourishing tree
planted by God’s design,
deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss;
bearing fruit in every season of their lives.
They are never dry, never fainting,
ever blessed, ever prosperous.
4 But how different are the wicked.
All they are is dust in the wind—
driven away to destruction!
5 The wicked will not endure the day of judgment,
for God will not defend them.
Nothing they do will succeed or endure for long,
for they have no part with those who walk in truth.
6 But how different it is for the lovers of God!
The Lord watches over them as they move forward
while the paths of the godless lead only to doom.
The opening verse of Psalm 1 paints a vivid picture of a gradual but perilous spiritual decline. It begins with walking in step with wicked influences, progresses to standing still and lingering in sin, and ends with sitting down—settling into a life apart from God.
Following the Hebrew, three verbs mark the regression: walk, stand, and sit—each representing a deeper level of entanglement and soul neglect. This serves as a powerful warning about how small, daily choices can slowly pull us away from the abundant life God desires for us.
Distractions are often unavoidable and attractive. We embrace them, but when we let them replace a daily dose of God’s Word and his living presence in our lives, we drift. Slowly, we can lose our spiritual footing. Eventually, we become like dust—so light, so uprooted, that the wind blows us anywhere it wants. No compass. No anchor. No blessing.
Just as Psalm 1 warns us of the consequences of drifting from God, Jim Thorpe’s story offers us an inspiring counter-example. Jim was fast. Fast enough to win against all odds, but someone tried to stop him. On the morning of the 1912 Olympics, just before the most important race of his life, someone stole his shoes. But that didn’t stop him. Determined to run, Thorpe found two mismatched shoes in a trash bin. One was far too big, so he wore extra socks to make it fit. Against all odds, he competed anyway... and won two gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon.
Psalm 1 reminds us that a life well-lived isn’t about speed but about devotion, determination, and staying rooted in God’s truth. Like Jim Thorpe running with mismatched shoes, we, too, face life’s challenges with what we have. Yet, unlike an Olympic race, our spiritual journey isn’t about medals—it’s about staying anchored in God.
Even in our busiest seasons, when time feels as scarce as Thorpe’s stolen shoes, small acts of faith—a brief prayer, a single verse, or a quiet moment of reflection—keep us grounded. This Lenten season reminds us that it’s not the quantity of time we spend with God, but the consistent choice to stay connected to him, like a tree planted by streams of water, rooted and bearing fruit in its season.
Our imperfect moments with God may feel inadequate, like mismatched shoes, but when we trust him and run with what we have, he transforms our small steps into a steady walk of faith—thriving not through perfection, but through perseverance and grace.
Richard Porter
Richard Porter has taught Old Testament and Biblical Background subjects at Nazarene Theological College and Belfast Bible College. He is now Pastor Emeritus at his local church in Northern Ireland.