Pleasing meditation

The commentary from today's Bible in One Year reading plan by Nicky Gumbel, about verses from Psalm 104, was timely after a restless night, typical of what happens before I sing on Sunday.

It affirmed what I have learned: When I can’t sleep, it is good to pray and meditate on Scripture. Whenever doubts arose during the night and I worried I wasn’t getting the rest I needed, I shifted back to prayer and meditation. Praise be to God!

If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate! All you need to do is change what you think about and you will be practising Christian meditation.

‘Meditation’ (v.34) means what you think about, what you allow your mind to dwell on.

The psalmist praises God for the entire created universe. He says, ‘I will sing to the Lord all my life’ (v.33). Then, he prays, ‘May my meditation be pleasing to him’ (v.34).

The apostle Paul has good advice: ‘whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things’ (Philippians 4:8).

Talking with my accompanist at church, I voiced another awareness: Not being able to get the sleep I think I need before singing (or traveling or any other big thing I try to prepare for and then rest up) ends up forcing me to again realize that any good thing that comes through me is a result of me placing my trust in God. May I never forget!