Two Sides of One Conversation

David Bailey explores listening and speaking in faith, showing how Scripture and prayer form two sides of ongoing conversation with God.

By David Bailey

Read Time: 8 minutes

We often speak of Bible reading and prayer as the two parts of a conversation. In Bible times, this was more of a reality than we may have realized. Consider how the Word of God speaks to us:

My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. (Proverbs 6:20-23).

God’s Word isn’t merely a textbook. By it, God talks to us. Notice these expressions in that glorious psalm about God’s Word, Psalm 119:

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. (v. 13).

The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. (v. 72).

Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth. (v. 88).

There is a living person behind the words of Scripture. This understanding brings us to the reason for Bible study.

The Purpose of Bible Study

When we read or study God’s Word, what is the purpose? Psalm 119 tells us:

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. (v. 2).

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (v. 10).

Bible study is about seeking God as a living person. But, Psalm 119 goes further: we must involve God personally in our study of His Word:

Make me [cause me] to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. (v. 27).

Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. (v. 33).

Make me [cause me] to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. (vv. 35-36).

The psalmist asks for help to understand not only the precept but the “way” or “path” of God’s precepts, statutes, or commandments. As he meditates on God’s Word, the psalmist asks God to engage in his learning personally. Studying God’s Word is not simply contemplating a Bible passage; it’s about experiencing what it talks about. This result can only occur within life itself.

Thus, to the Hebrews, Bible study wasn’t about sitting in a specially dedicated room with all your books, lexicons, and other resources. Most people didn’t have a Bible. For common folk, Bible study meant learning from the Levites, memorizing passages, and reflecting on them and their themes. This process is called meditation.

Meditation, to them, was not the navel-gazing emptying of the mind as the Hindus, Buddhists, New Agers, and therapists recommend. Let’s look at what the Bible says about meditation. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:2). The blessed, or happy, man delights in the Law (teaching) of Yahweh. His happiness results from meditating on the Law day and night. But how do you meditate upon God’s Word day and night? This idea cannot mean you sit at a desk with all your books day and night! Verse 3 provides the answer: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” A person who meditates on the Law day and night is like a tree planted by the water—the Word of God—constantly drawing upon it, and therefore is fruitful in his life.

Meditation is a Conversation

There are several words for “meditation” in the Old Testament, and all generally mean thinking or talking about something. The word in Psalm 1 is hagah, meaning to mutter, talk, meditate, or muse. Rotherham renders verse 2, “And in his law doth he talk with himself day and night.” Meditation is about talking to ourselves about the Word. As we go about our daily lives, we assess what life throws at us by asking how God’s Word would have us think about it.

If God’s Word is in our hearts, when we ask of that Word for answers to our issues, and we speak that Word back to ourselves, God speaks to us. We find this regularly in the Psalms.

Psalms are Meditations or Prayers, or Both

There are three types of psalms: meditations, prayers, or both (a combination). Personal pronouns help us to identify these. Personal pronouns refer to (1) the speaker (or speakers), (2) those spoken to, and (3) those spoken about.

1. Speaker/s (First person): I, me, my, mine, myself, we, our, ours, us, ourselves
2. Those spoken to (Second person): You, your, yours, thyself, thou, thee, thine, thyself
3. Those spoken about (Third person): He, she, it; him, her, it; his, hers, its; they, them, their, theirs, himself, herself, themselves.

In prayers, the speaker speaks to God (second person). In meditations, the speaker talks about God (third person). Let us see how this works. You will need to open the Bible passages to benefit from this.

Example of a Prayer: Psalm 143

Read through Psalm 143. Who is David speaking to in this psalm? We see “Thou, thee, thy” (second person singular) all the way through. It’s a prayer spoken to God.

Now, look at how meditations speak in the third person (about God, not to Him).

Example of Meditation: Psalm 103

Notice in verse 1 how David speaks to himself —he speaks to his own soul. But right through to verse 19, he is talking about God (He, His). But, in verses 20-22, he calls on others to bless Yahweh. Meditations often call upon one’s soul (self), angels, the faithful, the nation, and sometimes even enemies to hearken to what the psalmist has to say. It’s like a real conversation with oneself or others.

Second Example of a Meditation: Psalm 105

In verses 1-4, the psalmist calls the seed of Abraham (v. 6) to give thanks to the LORD, to call upon His Name, make known His deeds, sing unto Him, glory in Him, and seek Him. They are also to “remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.” (v. 5).

The word “remember” is one of the terms used for meditation, zakar, meaning “to bring to remembrance.” So it’s recalling those things stored in our minds about what God has done. Faithful Israelites committed the nation’s biblical history to memory for this purpose. Verses 7 to the end of the psalm do just that. It’s all in the third person—speaking about God and what He has done throughout their history.

This pattern is typical of Israel’s meditations. Their history, creation, God’s character, and His works are all significant themes for reflection. Other meditations are personal and deal with one’s observations of life, the trials of life, and our need for God. Others are simply contemplations about God.

Psalms that are Meditations and Prayers

Most psalms are a combination of meditation and prayer. Let’s look at Psalms 93 and 16 and note their features.

Psalm 93 is formed like this:

Verse 1 is a meditation because it speaks about God.

Verses 2-3 are a prayer spoken directly to God.

Verse 4 is a further meditation.

Verse 5 closes the psalm with a prayer.

Psalm 16 begins with a prayer, but the alternation is the same:

Verse 1: Prayer

Verses 2-5a: Meditation

Verse 5b: Prayer

Verses 6-9: Meditation

Verses 10-11: Prayer

Notice how each psalm drifts naturally from prayer into a reflection on what he said in the prayer, which in turn prompts his subsequent prayer. In Psalm 16, the reflection is often about convincing himself of the sentiments he has expressed in his prayer.

Have you experienced this? You start in prayer, and your mind “wanders” into thoughts about what you’ve just said. We view this as our lack of concentration, but is it really? The faithful in Israel did not see this negatively, but rather as something they practiced.

And there’s more to this. Notice in verses 9 and 10 of Psalm 16 how he transitions seamlessly from meditation into prayer: [In meditation, he says] “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.” It’s as if his meditation was part of his prayer.

Meditation Includes Prayer

Psalm 19 is a meditation about the Word of God, but concludes with the prayer: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (v. 14). Notice how both the meditation and prayer are done before God for His consideration. This combination is significant.

Again, in David’s psalm in 2 Samuel 22, apart from the prayers in verses 26-30, 36-37, 40-41, and 44-50, the rest of the chapter, from verse 2 to 51, is a meditation on how God redeemed David from his enemies. But look at how it was delivered in verse 1: “David spake unto the LORD the words of this song.” His meditations about God are still uttered to Him!

We’ve labored the point that God speaks to us through the Word, but here it says that we should do our Bible study and our meditations before God, in His presence! Like a real conversation. This understanding is how the ancients approached Bible study.

We view Bible study as us studying about God—and it is. But we should do it in His presence, include Him in our thinking about Him, and talk to Him about it. There is an intimacy in this conversation—a relationship.

Because of their close relationship, we find that Old Testament words translated as “meditation” are often used for both meditation and prayer. Prayer and meditation become synonymous. I’ll give two examples.

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalm 5:1-3).

Clearly, he is talking about prayer. Even the word “meditation” here means mutterings, but they are the mutterings of much thought in prayer that he asks Yahweh to “consider.”

As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. (Psalm 55:16-17).

David again refers to prayer and to his times for prayer: evening, morning, and noon. But the word he uses for prayer is siyach, one of the Hebrew words for meditation! He is referring to a meditative prayer. Really, meditation is a form of prayer. Perhaps we need to reconsider how we do our Bible study?

Try it out. Use the “Lord’s Prayer.” Christ gave that prayer for meditation! Or you can use your daily readings: Read a verse, think about it, and talk to God about it. The Word and prayer go together. They are totally inseparable.

David Bailey,
Christchurch North Ecclesia, NZ

Editors Note: If you’re interested in hearing more about this topic, Brother David expands upon it in his book, Talking with God, available at wilderness-voice.org/publications.