"Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp" (Psalm 49:1-4).
The Psalms were not written to entertain a crowd but to worship a holy God. Although there are many Psalms of lament they were not written to just simply sing the blues. The Psalms express deep contemplations and meditations of the heart about life and about God. These contemplations and meditations were written down and put to music with the ultimate intent of worshipping God. David wrote many of these Psalms. And one of the reasons why he did great things for God was because he thought deeply and worshipfully on God and as a result had great faith in God. I've heard it said, and I agree, that we live in the information age. We can get on the Internet and search and find information on just about anything we want to find information on. But although many people know a lot about many things, very few people know anything very deeply. If we desire to grow in our faith and knowledge of God we must think and meditate deeply on God through His word. And the book of Psalms is a great place to begin.
Read the Psalm not simply to gain information about God, but to grow in intimacy with God. The Psalms call us to draw near to God and seek his face with all our hearts. Therefore when you read the Psalm you must do so in the context of a relationship with God. This means that you must first of all ponder what they have to say about God. The Psalmist wrote, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:16). If we get still enough, if we pause enough to think and ponder the beauty and greatness of the God of the Psalms, we will like David grow in our faith and confidence in Him.
We must us personalize and pray the Psalms. When you come across a passage or verse in the Psalms that speaks to your heart, personalize and pray it back to God. Keep in mind that the Psalms are not simply songs that are sung, which tell us something about God. Many of the Psalms are prayers that are prayed to God. For example, in Psalm 63 David wrote, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice” (Psalm 63:1-7).
Do you desire a closer and more intimate knowledge of God? Ponder, personalize and pray the Psalms from your heart. Let the Psalms help you, by God's Spirit to think great thoughts, give high praise, and pray big prayers unto an infinitely worthy God.
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