Meditation
– Feeding on the Word of God
Heroes of
Faith Meditate
“Meditate” is the
word God uses when He speaks to us in the Old Testament
about handling scripture. God gives Joshua instruction for
leading the Israelites into the Promised Land:
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may
observe to do according to all that is written in it. For
then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success. (Josh 1:8)
David was clearly one who meditated on God’s word.
For example:
My eyes are awake through the night watches that I may
meditate on Your Word. (Ps 119:148)
Your Word have I hidden in my heart. (Ps
119:11)
Meditation
Defined: a total change for the better
This word
“meditate”
comes from the Hebrew word “hagah” (#1897,
Strong’s). It means
• To moan, mutter, ponder, imagine
• To contemplate something as you repeat the words
This Hebrew use of “meditate” is quite
different from our contemporary meanings for the word. The
early Hebrew practice of repeating scriptures quietly as
you contemplate their meaning comes close to what we would
understand to be the re-programming of our minds. Huh?
And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may
prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God. (Ro 12:2)
The word
“renewing” in the Greek,
“anakainosis”, indicates a total change for the
better.
We have potent promise here:
• Meditate on the Word
• Bring about great change for the better
Meditation is anything but busy-work. It is a powerful tool
for changing the circumstances of our own lives and the
circumstances of those things that concern us. Scripture
meditation that leads to scripture proclamation is like a
secret weapon that has been hidden away from those too
young, or too irresponsible, to use it.
Jesus says:
If
you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, you will ask
what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
(Jn
15:17) Can you feel
the motivational power in Jesus’ statement?
Make the time to meditate on, abide in, His word! As you
do, those words of scripture that have engrafted in your
heart will easily rise up in prayer. You will experience a
new confidence that comes through the life of the Word in
you.
This process
in practice:
• Take a
line or two of scripture and quietly repeat those lines to
yourself over and over.
• There is something about our own hearts hearing the
Word in our own voice…neuroscience would tell us now
that such a practice reprograms our sub-conscious…in
this case, for success. Remember, God made an impressive
promise to Joshua if he would do this meditating day and
night.
Believing and Agreeing
with God
When we invest time in
meditating on scripture, we develop strong belief in our
hearts. What we believe in our hearts will always win over
what we know in our heads! Now we have scripture that we
practically know by heart combined with strong belief
(faith). Praying from such a position puts us into perfect
agreement with God. He’s just been waiting for that!
The power of heaven comes pouring in on us and on the
situation(s) for which we’ve been praying.
Feeding on the
Word
Isn’t this exciting?
And there’s more…Think of meditation as
eating:
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matt 4:4)
Your words were found and I ate them, and Your Word was to
me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart.
(Jeremiah
15:6)
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the
man who trusts in Him.
(Ps 34:8)
Think of sinking your teeth into a delectable bite of food.
You don’t hastily chew and swallow it. You chew
slowly…savoring. You chew more, enjoying all of the
subtle nuances of flavor. And when you finally do swallow
the delicacy you’ve been chewing, the memory of it
lingers.
That lingering memory can stay fresh for
years…sending us back to that special restaurant 200
miles away…or digging through the old recipe
collection hoping to recreate the masterpiece pie that
Grandma used to bake.
When we feed on
scripture the same phenomenon is
possible….
• savor the delight of discovery
• enjoy subtle nuances of meaning
• have a memorable encounter with the Divine
Now Let’s Feast!
Try It!
• Find scripture that has a strong draw for you.
• Chew it (repeat) slowly, over and over. Suck the
juice out of it. Taste the subtleties.
• As you chew, it will get bigger…. bigger in
this sense: you will begin to understand this scripture in
broader terms. You will see application of it to your own
life and circumstances that you haven’t recognized
before.
Jeremah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer you, and
show you great and mighty things which you do not know.
•
Then prayer begins to flow. Don’t be fooled into
thinking that this is just your own mind. The Holy Spirit
is using your grey matter to expand you in understanding
and responding to the things of God.
• Keep a notebook of these scriptures and resulting
prayers. You’ll be amazed at how fresh and alive they
are in your spirit every time you return to them.
Little Helps
With Scripture Meditation
• Make a tape of one or
more scriptures, repeated over and over. Listen to the tape
when you are engaged in mindless activities. This strategy
is powerful for memorization and reprogramming the mind.
However, this is probably not a good one for driving. Your
concentration on traffic could be compromised.
• Put a fresh scripture on your computer screen every
few days. Then use it as reinforcement of your meditation
time.
• Record these scriptures in your day-planner as a
reminder.
• Write your scripture on several index cards to be
placed above the kitchen sink, on the bathroom
mirror…any place you spend a few quiet moments that
can be used as a review.
• Print those scriptures in large letters on the
family white board.
• Write them in colored chalk on your
driveway…or some other creative, out-of-the-box
ways.
The point is…reinforce!...and take heart with
what Andrew
Murray says,
“Open your whole heart to God’s words of
promise in all their simplicity and truth! They will
search us and humble us. They will lift us up and make
us glad and strong. (“With Christ in the
School of Prayer”, Chapter 31)
Meditate!
Be Glad!
Be Strong!
More Help With
Scripture Meditation and Prayer
1. Finding Rhema:
God’s word spoken to
You
2. Release the Power of Psalm
91 - a free
faith building e-course
3. Confession of
Faith:
Understanding the dynamic of Scripture prayer
4.
The Names of
God: a list of
the Names of God by which He reveals Himself to us in
Scripture; superb for mediation