Know the Play

“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” — Psalm 1:2

When a football player joins a team, one of the first things they receive is the playbook. It’s not a casual handout. It’s the heart of the team’s strategy, identity, and rhythm. Coaches expect players to study it. Teammates trust one another to know it. And the best players don’t just read the plays — they internalize them.

They rehearse each movement until it becomes instinct. They run drills until their bodies respond without hesitation. By the time they step onto the field against an opponent, the playbook isn’t something they look at — it’s something they live out. Their confidence, their timing, their ability to respond under pressure all flow from how deeply the playbook has shaped them.

Psalm 1 paints a similar picture of the faithful life. Those who “delight in the law of the Lord” aren’t simply checking off a reading plan. They’re letting God’s word seep into their bones. They’re returning to it morning and night, not out of obligation but out of desire — because they know it forms them, steadies them, and prepares them for whatever the day brings.

Meditating on Scripture is not about mastering information. It’s about being mastered by grace. It’s about letting God’s story become the script that guides our steps, shapes our instincts, and teaches us how to move through the world with wisdom, compassion, and courage.

Life brings its own opponents — stress, uncertainty, temptation, weariness — and in those moments, what we’ve planted in our hearts rises to meet the moment.

Like a player who knows the playbook so well that the game slows down and clarity rises, we grow into people who can respond to life with a steadiness that doesn’t come from us — it comes from the One who speaks through the Word.

Holy God, draw us again into your Word until it becomes the rhythm of our hearts and the guide of our days. Shape our instincts, steady our steps, and help us live with the confidence that comes from knowing your voice. Let your truth take root in us, so that our lives reflect your love in all we do. Amen.

Peace & Grace,

Pastor Tim