More on Meditation
Why should we make meditation a habit?
Verse of the Day
“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.”
Today’s Devotional
I had no intention of continuing to write about meditation, but there has been a sacred echo lately that has pushed me to explore the topic deeper as I begin to practice this spiritual discipline.
In the spirit of transparency, I will share with you that some of my times of meditation have been wonderful and have filled me with the peace of God’s presence. Some have been very simple times of worship. Some have been so full of distractions (both internal and external) that my response was frustration. But…I have enough experience to know that new skills take practice. And learning to put myself in a place where I can hear from God and allow him the space to transform me to be more like Jesus is a process. This process is not going to be without mistakes, missteps, and flaws.
Perhaps a good question is, “Why do we need to meditate?” As with many things in life, my belief is that we often cannot fully understand until after we obey. But as I have been studying, I came across today’s verse. Let’s read together what comes before it and after it:
“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”
Let’s assume that we are counted among “those” who are not actively making wrong choices. We are being told that there is joy and delight in obedience. Joy and delight are ours when we meditate on God’s Word. (Would you like more joy and delight in your life?) There is also imagery that leads me to believe that meditation puts me in a position where nourishment easily flows into my life, like the river for the tree. And that nourishment allows me to be fruitful. It allows me to flourish despite my circumstances and to have success in whatever God asks of me. That all sounds really good to me.
Today let’s be obedient to God’s invitation to meditate on His Word. The biblical guidance for meditation seems to focus on three things: Scripture, God’s character, and my thoughts. For me, choosing to meditate on a small phrase helps me to incorporate all three. If I am meditating on a phrase from the Bible, I am clearly meditating on Scripture, but also on God’s character as revealed in His Word, and I am focusing my thoughts to center on that phrase.
There will be no journal prompts today other than to write down any thoughts after your meditation. Instead, here’s my challenge. Pick from one of the following phrases from the Bible (or any other phrase from Scripture), set a timer for five minutes, sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and repeat the phrase over and over in your mind until the timer goes off. Each phrase is short enough that it should be pretty easy to remember without too much effort. When your mind wonders, there’s no shame in that. Just repeat the verse again. And again. This is one way to meditate. Let’s practice together.
Meditation Prompts (Pick one)
My peace I give to you. (The words of Jesus in John 14:27)
The Lord will hold me close. (Psalm 27:10)
The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need. (Psalm 23:1)
Perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:8)
The Lord your God is living among you. (Zephaniah 3:17)
God’s love is better than life. (Psalm 63:3)
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