Most of the chapters are not long, one to two minutes by listening to audio Bible. It is easy to read and pray 5 to 10 chapters a day. But it is good to focus maybe just one or two psalm’s key point to meditate for at least a week or so. Lots of things to learn by our heart, soul and spirit, it has to override all man-made doctrines that confused many for a very long time. Listening audio Bible 10, 20 times also help to remember the contents. The main purpose is to convey the messages from God to our heart and soul. It takes time to convince and renew them, maybe weeks or even months. Some may feel boring, because the head may think “I have got it already, no need to read anymore”. But these messages are not simply written for man’s head to increase knowledge, but for cleansing of the heart and soul.
One of the key verse to focus, for example, is in chapter 4, “LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.” I don’t know what will happen when God’s face did shine upon us, so prayed this for many days. After weeks of praying and meditating, more understanding of Psalms started to come into mind, one important thing is; meditating the Word of God day and night. In this way men can love God with heart and soul. This is necessary to practice the most important commandment in both Matthew () and Mark ().
Jesus often get up very early in the morning to pray, and prayed over night. Anyone wants to follow the example of Christ may have to meditate the word of God or pray day and night. Paul prayed day and night all the time, it is written in First Thessalonians () and also in Second Timothy ().
Paul emphasized that is the will of God for all believers in First Thessalonians 5,16-18; “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” It is not that easy to practice, but failing to do so may just missed the will of God. The Scripture warned us not to reject this on the following verse; “Quench not the Spirit.” Those who failed to pray without ceasing may have quenched the Spirit already.
Meditating is a kind of praying silently. It is good to focus only a few key verse from a chapter, pray and meditate and think about it all the time. In this way we can keep our mind on things of God. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:1,2 “If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.”
We all need to pay more serious attention on this, not to set our mind on things that are upon the earth, for Paul warned those who did it; (Phl 3:18,19) “For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” Those Philippians believer became the enemies of the cross of Christ because they set their mind on earthly things, they think about earthly things always. What we think and meditate make big difference.
It is after praying and meditating Psalm 4, I have gained more understanding, only then I can see Psalm one is teaching us how to resist temptation. Jesus set us a perfect example after he fasted 40 days and 40 nights. He was hungry, and the tempter came and ask him to change stones to bread, he answered with the Scriptures () . He demonstrated to us how not to walk in the counsel of the wicked by applying the word of God in everyday life. In this example, the wicked or ungodly is not an evil person, they are the thoughts or ideas coming from the tempter, who is invisible, not a human being. This is the spiritual war we face everyday, only without knowing it.