Day and night

[puddleglum]

If we want to understand the Bible well we must not only read it but spend time thinking about what it says. Here is how the Bible describes the person whom God blesses.

His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:2 ESV

What does it mean to meditate day and night? Do we have to stay awake and think about the Bible rather than sleeping?

There may be times when we need to stay up at night and study the Bible but this isn’t normally the case. When we sleep our minds continue to operate even when our bodies are inactive and most of us experience periods of wakefulness during the night. What we think about during these times often influences our activities during the day. If we think about the wrong things this effect can be bad.

Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Micah 2:1 ESV

But spending this time thinking about God will produce good results.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
Psalm 63:5-6 ESV

What we are thinking about at the end of the day often determines what we think about during the night. Most Christians are aware of the importance of starting the day with a time of prayer and Bible reading. When we do this we are following the example of Jesus who often rose early in the morning to pray. Perhaps we should end the day the same way.

When the Israelites worshipped in the tabernacle God commanded them to make daily sacrifices in the morning and in the evening.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’ And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.�
Numbers 28:1-4 ESV

We should follow their example in our personal worship. If we make it a habit to spend time thinking about God just before we go to bed we will find it easier to do the same thing in the morning.

[Fides et Veritas]

I whole heartedly agree with you.

I do believe that the reference from Psalms about “meditating day and night� on the Law of the Lord is a reference to actively think about God during the day and our subconscious will weigh on it. We will truly dwell on God and His Holy Word. We will allow it to truly guide, command and focus or lives. The key to this is what you pointed out further down.

Dwelling on God and spending time specifically before one turns in for the night is a great help in being able to dwell on God in the morning as well. I also would take this a step further and point out that when one puts God first in their day, He tends to direct most of the day.

I love this analogy and I live by it daily: 30 minutes to survive, 60 minutes to thrive.
I apply this phrase to prayer and to Bible study. God comes first in my day so that I can keep him as the center of my life and the compass that my day follows.

Good post.


Thanks.

[janavoss]

I agree as well. There is a reason why Paul wrote "do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold".

Some of the most profound (to me, anyway) spiritual lessons I have learned have come at the oddest times, simply because of meditating on scriptures and praying throughout the day.