“Blessed
is the man … [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law
he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).
What does it mean to meditate on the Word of God? Is it the emptying of the mind that Eastern religions endorse? Is it a New Age state of mind where we float off to another place free from worry and anxiety - escaping all rational thought? It is it simply Bible reading and prayer?
There is much confusion in the Christian world as to what the word 'meditation' means. In David Mathis's words "it is the most misunderstood and most underrated of the disciplines in the church today."
To those who are worried that I am speaking of an emptying of the mind, let me assure you, I AM NOT. Christian meditation is very distinct from other practices of meditation; whereas the common practice of emptying your mind is the key in most well-known forms, the Christian meditates by actively filling their mind with biblical truth that has the power to reorder the affections and renew the mind so that we may be able to discern the good, acceptable, & perfect will of God (see Romans 12:2)
The first thing we need to do
before meditating on the Word of God is to read the Word of God....and
not just read it....read it slowly. I think this is a common mistake
that many make. We rush through our Bible reading time, check a box and move on
with our day....and it is no wonder that we leave our devotional time COLD.
Thomas Watson knew this well. He says "the reason we come away so cold from
reading the word is, because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of
meditation." We have wrongly adopted the rushed, busied mindset of the
culture: do, do, DO! We feel like we are wasting time by mulling over a text.
Pausing. Pondering. When in actuality it is this slowed, unhurried pace that
can allow our hearts to be kindled, enjoying communion with God as we meditate
on His word.
In this study, look for verses in each section to meditate on. Spend some time dwelling on these verses. Donald Whitney talks about the difference between hearing the Word, reading the Word and meditating on the Word with a tea bag illustration. He says “In this analogy your mind is the cup of hot water and the tea bag represents your intake of Scripture. Hearing God’s Word is like one dip of the tea bag into the cup. Some of the tea’s flavor is absorbed by the water, but not as much as would occur with a more thorough soaking of the bag. Reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word are like additional plunges of the tea bag into the cup. The more frequently the tea enters the water, the more permeating its effect. Meditation, however, is like immersing the tea bag completely and letting it steep until all the rich tea flavor has been extracted and the hot water is thoroughly tinctured reddish brown. Meditation on Scripture is letting the Bible brew in the brain.” Let us mull over God’s Word, pondering, praying over and thinking on the text, and then we just might know the transformation that happens as our minds are renewed in the Scriptures (Romans 12:2).
In this study, look for verses in each section to meditate on. Spend some time dwelling on these verses. Donald Whitney talks about the difference between hearing the Word, reading the Word and meditating on the Word with a tea bag illustration. He says “In this analogy your mind is the cup of hot water and the tea bag represents your intake of Scripture. Hearing God’s Word is like one dip of the tea bag into the cup. Some of the tea’s flavor is absorbed by the water, but not as much as would occur with a more thorough soaking of the bag. Reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word are like additional plunges of the tea bag into the cup. The more frequently the tea enters the water, the more permeating its effect. Meditation, however, is like immersing the tea bag completely and letting it steep until all the rich tea flavor has been extracted and the hot water is thoroughly tinctured reddish brown. Meditation on Scripture is letting the Bible brew in the brain.” Let us mull over God’s Word, pondering, praying over and thinking on the text, and then we just might know the transformation that happens as our minds are renewed in the Scriptures (Romans 12:2).
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