What psalm verse do I remember?

When has a particular psalm verse stirred something deep within me?

There was a time in my life, when I did not fully understand the gift of God’s word through Scripture. It was not until my 19th annotation retreat that the power of God’s living word became crystal clear to me. It was through the daily experience of immersing myself in the Gospel stories that I began to realize how God speaks to us profoundly through Scripture, and how Scripture resonates strongly with our lived experience today.

Recently, I find myself drawn to the psalms, as my husband and I walk the journey of transition, waiting, and facing the unknown. The psalms offer songs of both praise and longing. I find myself coming back to Psalm 1:2-3 quite often, “The law of the LORD - is my joy; and on his law one meditates day and night. I am like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers.”

In this long period of waiting, it is easy to feel withered and dry without hope that fruit will come. However, this verse has provided me with a reminder of hope: that if we remain rooted in Christ, we will be like a “tree planted near streams of water.” On days when holding onto hope feels tough, this image from the psalms calms me and reminds me that we are being taken care of because of the stream we planted next to.