{"id":58,"date":"2017-03-01T22:08:07","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T04:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/?p=58"},"modified":"2017-09-15T12:54:08","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T17:54:08","slug":"rediscovering-the-biblical-practice-of-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/rediscovering-the-biblical-practice-of-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Rediscovering the Biblical Practice of Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What comes to mind when you hear the word meditation? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perhaps you picture an eastern religion, a monk or a quiet seated person with legs crossed. Maybe you visualize tranquility or peacefulness. For a long time I associated meditation with something other than Christianity. After all God never gave me the flexibility to sit that way! However, as I have studied scripture I have come to realize that the idea of meditation is all throughout the Bible. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example, David in Psalms 1:2 describes the man who is \u201cblessed\u201d as one whose \u201cdelight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">meditates<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> day and night\u201d David is certainly not promoting something non-Biblical. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As we dig into this concept here are five questions that have helped me. I hope they\u2019ll help you too! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>1) Is meditation Biblical?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The term meditate or meditation is used 20 times in the Bible, and it often refers to a process of focusing one\u2019s thoughts: to ponder, think on. It is basically reflective thinking or contemplation on a specific subject to find it\u2019s significance or plan of action. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[1] <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example the Psalmist gives us four samples. In each example he is reflecting on God\u2019s goodness, provision or power to redeem: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Psalm 63:6: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I remember Thee on my bed, I meditate on Thee in the night watches<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Psalm 77:11: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Thy wonders of old.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Psalm 78:42: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the adversary<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Psalm 143:5: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy doings; I muse on the work of Thy hands<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>2) What is the objective of Biblical meditation?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meditation is simply listening, heeding attention to, studying, praying and asking God by his Spirit to reveal truth. It\u2019s what the Psalmist was doing and what we are called to do as well. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The goal of Christian meditation is to internalize and personalize the Scripture so that its truth can affect how we think, our attitudes, how we live and our actions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>3) Why meditate? Isn\u2019t praying enough?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Bible is the revelation of God! God speaks to His people through His Word. It\u2019s through the Bible that God reveals who man is and what His plan for man consists of. Praying is powerful and God speaks through prayers; meditation is another avenue of hearing the Lord speak. As you reflect on a specific truth from the Bible, God promises to \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lead you into all truth<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d (John 16:13). Mediation allows your mind to be renewed (Romans 12:1-2), and reconciliation with your creator is also fostered. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>4) What do I need in order to meditate? How do I do it?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The answer to this question is simple: A small amount of time, a quiet place, and a Bible. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It doesn\u2019t take special music, training or skills to meditate. You don\u2019t need to sit in any special way. While at first it can be difficult to concentrate on the word of God and let go of distractions, anyone can do it. For me I have learned to find a scripture verse, read it over and over, and then ask God to reveal to me what He wants to tell me through this verse. What is the meaning of this verse? What does this truth mean for my life? How do I practice or live this truth out? Allowing God to speak in this way is meditation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">All scripture is<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d \u2013 2 Timothy 3:16-17 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What is God\u2019s word saying to you?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>5) What should I expect when I meditate?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Expect to be blessed by the presence of the Lord. Each time you meditate things may differ. Sometimes, from my experience, I find myself seeing something in the verse that I haven\u2019t seen before. Sometimes I feel a conviction to change something in my life. Sometimes my mind is taken to a worship song, and I find myself worshipping through music. Sometimes I leave encouraged, uplifted or edified in a unique way. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Above all expect to experience God. After all His \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d Psalm 119:105<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Where do I start?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As with anything it is helpful to have a little guidance. Here are some verses that you can meditate on as you begin this practice in your life:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2 Peter 2:9<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1 Corinthians 13:1<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Romans 5:8<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Genesis 39:20-21<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Psalm 103:13-14<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">John 10:28-29<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1 Peter 2:16-17<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Psalm 37:37<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Proverbs 23:17-18<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Matthew 6:31-33<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hebrews 13:5<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Isaiah 43:2<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May the Lord bless you and keep you as you meditate on the truths of His word!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Growth Point:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meditation is a powerful practice of studying, submitting, listening, and applying God\u2019s word.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Scripture Point:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Read 2 Timothy 3:16 and ask God to use scripture to do these things in your life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Action Point:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pick a verse from the list above. Find 5 minutes of uninterrupted time each day this week to meditate on a verse. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[1]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> https:\/\/bible.org\/article\/biblical-meditation<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What comes to mind when you hear the word meditation? Perhaps you picture an eastern religion, a monk or a quiet seated person with legs crossed. Maybe you visualize tranquility or peacefulness. For a long time I associated meditation with something other than Christianity. After  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":59,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-growth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58\/revisions\/60"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}