I have found meditation on Psalm 62 to be a huge benefit to my own sense of God's peace and finding a place of rest in Him.  The psalm begins with a truth statement about where our souls find rest (v.1).  But then later in v.5 there is a subtle shift as the psalmist meditates with self-talk.  The truth that was "out there" becomes the truth that is internalised within through self-talk and meditation.  I think that as we surrender to the Holy Spirit in this process God is able to make the truth part of our inner world and we can therefore begin to experience more of God's peace and rest from our inner core.  This place of rest and peace within creates a wide and open place within in which the Spirit of God can access our inner-world and we can experience the indwelling presence of God in greater measure.  This has been my experience.

Anybody got some thoughts on psalm 62 or how you understand the process of Christian meditation in Scripture?

Rich,

Thanks for your thoughts here. Psalm 62 is a wonderful Psalm. What I think the Psalmist tends to do, here and elsewhere, is to "cognitively reframe" (to use psychological terminology) his situation in light of the truth. This, in itself, does nothing other than to hold his own soul in contrast to what the truth actually is - and by contrast - what his heart is actually like. By doing so, the Psalmist necessarily throws himself before God, because he has already taken away any chance of saving himself. "The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."

I think it is important to engage in this exercise, but I also think it is important to recognize that reframing our life according to the truth is meant to lead us to God, and not merely his truth. In other words, we can easily turn this exercise into a way to change our ideas cognitively, and thereby make it a form a self-help - albeit self-help oriented towards God's truth. This would be something like the Proverbs.

I tend to think Calvin was right when he started his Institutes - that there is a twofold knowledge that Christianity entails, knowlege of God and knowledge of self. Here, the Psalmist calls forth the truth that his real self can grasp God.Therefore the meditation of scripture should, in my mind, lead us to meditate upon God himself, and not merely the scriptural texts. It is one thing to know that "He only is my rock and my salvation" is a true statement, and a totally different thing to know that it is true of the true God, whom you know, and yourself. This is the work of the Spirit, illuminating the Word of God to bring you into true knowledge of his truth.

Any other thoughts on this kind of praying in the Psalms, where the Psalmist calls out to his soul?