Psalm 1 tells us,”Happy is the person who meditates on God’s Word day and night. He/she is like a tree planted by streams of water which give its fruit in season.” The question is, “How do we do that? What exactly does it mean to meditate on God’s Word?”
I don’t know about you but whenever I hear the word “meditate” I think of yoga class. I’ve never actually had the pleasure of attending one, but that’s what comes to mind. I imagine sitting quietly and trying to empty my mind of all that fills it, the things that stress me, the things that scare me, the things that overwhelm me.
When God teaches me to meditate he imagines for me a lion who has a low rumble gurgling up from it’s mouth. It’s a lion who has caught his prey, has taken a portion of that prey for dinner, and now retreats to a quiet place to enjoy his meal. A low growl rumbles from his throat because he is enjoying his meal.Similarly, God imagines a dog who got his bone and now retreats to a corner to gnaw on it for a while. The dog growls and drools because it’s enjoying the treat.
God’s Word is a treat for our souls. It’s a food that delights us like honey in our mouth. It’s like the finest wines and the choicest foods. Meditation takes that word off to a quiet place so that we can taste every nuance of the food, chew on it and take it to heart.
There are three things that you need to meditate:
TIME– You can’t do it in a moment. It doesn’t happen quickly. It’s something that we need to do for more than just a moment as if we were staring at a text message or scrolling through Facebook. It takes time to think about, chew on and enjoy a verse from God’s Word. It takes time to squeeze every drop of Jesus out of a text, to get all the goodness out of that verse.
QUIET– It also takes quiet. You need quiet space in your mind to be able to think about who God is and what he is saying. You need quiet, apart from the distractions of notifications on your phone or computer. You need quiet apart from the hustle and bustle of the day and to give your full energy and attention to God.
PREACHING – Finally, meditation means preaching. It’s not a verbal preaching of God’s Word to other people, but a quiet preaching of God’s Word to your own soul. No one speaks to you as much as you do. Meditation is your time to preach God’s Word, both law and gospel to your soul.
Meditation takes time, quiet, and preaching. It is taking God’s Word to heart and applying it to our soul, our heart, our life. Enjoy these moments with God’s Word as you squeeze out every drop out of Jesus.
To join us in the plan, follow us here.