Meditation is Scriptural

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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. ” (Joshua 1:8, ESV)

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. ” (Psalm 19:14, ESV)

“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. ” (Psalm 48:9, ESV)

“My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. ” (Psalm 49:3, ESV)

“when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; ” (Psalm 63:6, ESV)

“I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search: ” (Psalm 77:6, ESV)

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. ” (Psalm 77:12, ESV)

“May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. ” (Psalm 104:34, ESV)

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. ” (Psalm 119:15, ESV)

“I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. ” (Psalm 119:99, ESV)

“My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. ” (Psalm 119:148, ESV)

What is Meditation?
The Hebrew word translated “meditation” has two roots. The first root means to mutter or speak in a low voice. The second means to consider something inwardly or to be occupied with an idea. Meditation therefore involves the focus of my thoughts and words upon a particular idea. In scripture we see that the object of our meditation is either scripture (the Law, his precepts, etc.), the deeds or works of God (his testimonies, his might acts in scripture, the works one has personally experienced in life, etc.), or the attributes of God’s nature and character (his goodness, love, etc.).

Everyone Knows How to Meditate
Anyone who has struggled with either fear or lust knows how to meditate, inwardly considering scenarios, ideas, and images in ways that powerfully affect and shape our inner world. Most, however, have not learned to intentionally harness this capacity in the manner in which it was designed.

How to Meditate
1. Memorize a phrase or verse from the Bible. Though you can choose an attribute of God or consider a story from your own life when God demonstrated his faithfulness and power, I find it is best to begin with a particular section of scripture. Start with something short. I find it best to consider a verse or phrase which speaks of who God is (his goodness, nearness or power for instance) or who I am in Christ.

2. Choose a time. The Bible speaks of meditating all day, morning and evening, day and night. There’s no bad time to meditate. If you’re a beginner, you shouldn’t start with the “all day” goal. I recommend setting aside 20 minutes toward the beginning of your day. It has been my experience that setting aside a particular time for focused meditation actually affects the occupation of your thoughts throughout the day.

3. Choose a place. Find a quiet place that’s free from distraction. If it’s aesthetically pleasant and peaceful for you, all the better. Calm is important and if your environment contributes to this it will be helpful. At the very least, locate a spot that doesn’t work against you.

4. Choose a posture. No – you don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor with your hands in a particular position. You do, however, need to find a position you can maintain without movement for 20 minutes. Slouching, crossing one leg over the other, and things like that will require you to shift positions frequently because of their effect on your circulation. I find it helpful to sit in comfortable chair (not a recliner) with both feet flat on the floor in front of you. Sit up straight and rest your hands palm down on your legs. There is nothing special about sitting in this position other than the fact that it allows you to not be distracted by how you’re sitting at all.

5. Turn your inward focus upon God’s presence. Jesus promised he would never leave you. 2 Cor 3:16 tells us that when we turn to the Lord the veil is removed (revelation occurs). Simply choose to be aware that God is with you and choose to be aware of nothing else. You might find it helpful to breathe deeply. Meditation is an act of the mind and body.

6. Bring to mind the verse or phrase from scripture you desire to meditate on. Begin to repeatedly rehearse this phrase or verse in your mind. As you do so, maintain your awareness of God’s presence.

7. Once you feel you are inwardly quiet and fully occupied with both God’s presence and the truth of scripture, begin to speak that phrase or verse from scripture repeatedly. No need to do it loudly or dramatically. Remember, the root word means to mutter quietly. You are now meditating on scripture!

Why was I afraid? What was the cure? Interestingly enough, correct information did nothing to help me overcome my fear. I understood enough about physics to know it was perfectly safe to ride the Shockwave. In a science classroom, if asked to explain this, I could have said some very reasonable things about centrifugal force that would have adequately explained why there was no reason to fear. And the thing is, I really sincerely affirmed this to be fact. I was nevertheless still afraid.

There is a distinction between affirming right data and belief. Belief is much more than intellectual agreement. Belief embraces more than information. It is possible to sincerely affirm correct information and yet actually believe something completely incongruent with that data.

This can be a dangerous trap for Christians. Failing to understand the distinction between what they intellectually affirm and that which they actually believe, many mistake doctrine for belief. It is possible to sincerely embrace right doctrine and have little to no faith in operation. The doctrine of Justification by Faith can be learned, rehearsed, and vigorously defended from scripture by someone who has never heard the Judge of all Creation declare them innocent of all charges. The God who is fully present in every place can always seem distant and removed from someone who fully embraces the doctrine of God’s omnipresence and has verses from Psalm 139 ready to back it up.

What do you believe about God? I’m not asking about your doctrine or your theology. What do you really believe? Is he good? Is he near? Is he powerful? Beliefs are shaped by experience not Sunday School. The lenses through which we see reality are shaped by what we encounter. Have your experiences taught you to believe that God is good? Near? Powerful? Or do you just have right doctrine.

If you discover an incongruence between the good doctrine you’ve learned in church and from the Bible and the actual assumptions your heart makes about God based on your life experiences, then what you need is a new experience. You need to encounter God, hear his voice, experience his presence. Only this kind of revelation will produce lasting growth and change. Only this kind of experience will result in faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (spoken word) of Christ (Rom 10:17).

Am I minimizing the importance of sound doctrine? No! Bad doctrine is of no benefit whatsoever. The point is that right doctrine is simply an accurate description of reality. It explains something real. In itself doctrine is insufficient for it is simply the explanation of a thing, not the thing itself. To the degree that right doctrine leads you to pursue the reality it points to, it is helpful. But to the degree right doctrine simply becomes a collection of correct information, it is simply the Knowledge of Good, which really isn’t any better than the Knowledge of Evil. Eating fruit from either branch of that tree will kill you!

Roller coasters were not made to be studied. Get in, buckle up, and ride.

The Bible occasionally says things that are so outside our assumed reality grid that we often just bypass them rather than explore the full implications of what has been said. “But we have the mind of Christ” is one of those mind blowing, grid expanding statements. Why is this statement so difficult to face? Simply because I know my own mind. I’ve experienced my own thoughts. I certainly hope Jesus’ mind is better than the one I live with every day.

I don’t  think Paul is suggesting that by default every thought that pops into the mind of every believer is Jesus’ thought. Common sense rules that out as a possible meaning. So, what does it mean then for me to have the mind of Christ? Let’s look at the context. In verse 9 Paul discusses what we don’t know.  “…no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Man doesn’t have access to accurate information regarding the goodness God has laid up for those who’s hearts belong to him. We just can’t access that information. Or can we?

Verse 10 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the one who has access to that information. And the good news? The Holy Spirit reveals them to us. Reveals what? Well, contextually it would have to be the good things God has prepared for those who love him. How does the Spirit know these things? Paul then uses the analogy regarding our experience as humans. Others don’t have access to our own thoughts. Only we do. Only the spirit of a person has access to the thoughts of a person. Likewise, only the Spirit of God knows the thoughts of God. Again – what thoughts is he talking about specifically? God’s thoughts regarding all the good he wants to do for those who love him. So how do we have access to these thoughts? The same Spirit who has acces to God’s thoughts because he is the Spirit of God lives in us. We are joined with the one who has access to God’s thoughts.

But how do we access that which we now have access to? How do we perceive the thoughts of God the Spirit of God who lives in us has access to? The key is in verse 14. The natural man is unable to receive the things of God. What is a “natural man”? The Greek word ispsuchikos. It’s root is psuche, the word four “soul”. The soul of man is comprised of three interacting and related parts – the mind, emotions, and will. So a “natural man” is a man governed by his own soul, by what he thinks, feels, and wants. This is the kind of man who is unable to receive the things of God. This is the kind of man who is unable to access the information the Spirit of God has access to in the mind of God regarding the good he wants to do for those who love him. So, to access the mind of Christ, to receive the things of the Spirit that can only be received in a spiritual manner, I must first NOT be a psuchikos. I must NOT be a person governed by what I think, feel, and want. It seems I can either be governed by my own mind or his. I can’t serve two masters. I wonder how many people struggle to hear God because they’ve never really come to terms with their need to surrender.

I’m interested in helping people experience Freedom in 2010. If you are interested in pursuing more of the Freedom provided for you in Christ, here are Six Keys.

1) Understand what Freedom is and isn’t.
We must not equate freedom with relief from pain. The Bible defines freedom in terms experiencing God’s presence and the revelation of truth (John 8:32; 2 Cor 3:17). When I define freedom in terms of God’s presence and voice, then these are the things I will pursue and my journey toward freedom will be Christ centered instead of me centered. When I instead define freedom in terms of solving my problems, then my focus will be on self and my problems will shape my pursuit and thereby the outcome of my pursuit. Freedom isn’t when I stop doing ______. Freedom is when I’m able to relate to God without hindrance as the person he created and redeemed me to be.

2) Invest in a process.
Freedom is part of your inheritance in Christ. It is part of the promised land God desires you to possess and inhabit. But that which is fully yours in Christ must be conquered, possessed, and inhabited bit by bit. Think discipleship. Think journey. If freedom was simply about the expulsion of demons then a process might be less necessary. But I need to be set free from more than just demons. You can’t cast out the flesh.

3) Get help.
At Gateway Church we have developed a powerful process to help you experience freedom. Visit us at http://freedom.gatewaypeople.com to learn more.

4) Learn to meditate on scripture.
Information doesn’t produce transformation. Revelation does. When I meditate on scripture I am pursuing the kind of revelation that can transform me from the inside out. I believe there is a level of freedom that cannot be experienced any other way. No one can do this for me. For the truth within scripture to become the kind of revelation that produces faith and results in personal transformation, the spiritual practice of scriptural meditation is essential.

5) Learn and implement new relational skills.
All of us live within family systems and play a role in repeating relational cycles that may or may not be healthy. Personal transformation needs a context in which it can be lived out in practical ways. In addition to experiencing deliverance, and inner healing,  you may also need to learn how to take out the trash, how to listen, how to prefer others, and how to establish healthy boundaries.

6) Give away what you’ve got.
The nature of grace is that it must be given away. Freely you’ve received. Freely give. The reality is that free people free people. Those who are being transformed can help others experience transformation. Moving into the next level of freedom personally often involves giving away what I’ve already received to someone else.

So, if you’re interested in pursuing freedom in 2010, then I encourage you to make each of these Six Keys a part of your journey.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.(ESV)

In this passage Paul describes two types of people: 1) The spiritual person, 2) The natural person

Pneumatikos is the Greek word translated into the English “spiritual person”. Pneuma is the Greek word for “spirit”. A spiritual person is one who lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Psuchikos is the Greek word translated into the English “natural person”.  Psuche is the Greek word for “soul”. A natural person is one who lives under the influence of the human soul. A person’s soul consists of their mind, emotions, and will – what I think, feel, and want. A natural person is a person who lives under the influence of what they think, feel, and want.

Notice the natural person, the person living under the influence of what they think, feel, and want, does not accept the things of God. Why? Because they are folly (foolishness) to him. He CANNOT understand them because they CANNOT be understood by someone who perceives reality through the grid of their own thoughts, emotions, and desires. Spiritual things must be perceived via another perspective, a spiritual perspective.

1 Corinthians 2:9
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—(ESV)

This verse immediately precedes the passage I quoted at the beginning. Notice that this verse provides the context for the verses just discussed. What is it that God wants to reveal to us? What is it that cannot be accepted or understood by those who live under the influence of what they think, feel, and want? The natural person will miss out on receiving all the good things God has planned for them!

So, in order to have the capacity to accept and understand all the good God has planned for me, I must first become a person who lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit. To become that person, I must no longer be a person who lives under the influence of what I think, feel, and want. I can no longer be a person who lives for my self, my psuche. I must die to my own thoughts, emotions, and desires. I must deny self.

Matthew 16:24-25
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.(ESV)

In the Bible one of the primary ways the seed of God’s word matures is through meditation. When I meditate on the information in God’s word it becomes revelation. Don’t freak out at the word meditation. I realize that other religions, cultures, and even the occult practice a form of meditation. But remember, the enemy doesn’t create he only counterfeits. If there is a counterfeit meditation, then there must be a legitimate form of meditation. Here’s the difference. In occult forms of meditation my goal is to empty my mind. Biblical mediation is an exercise in filling my mind with God’s word.

When cattle eat grass they don’t just chew and swallow. They bring it back up and chew on it some more. It’s called chewing the cud. This is a great picture of what meditation is. I recall God’s word and “chew” on it over and over again. I make it the focus of my thoughts and the content in my mouth. I “chew” on it because I recognize that although I might quickly be able to absorb the information and principles, what I need is revelation of truth from the Spirit. So, I meditate in the scripture, chewing on God’s word, marrinating in it, that the seed of God’s word might grow and that the Spirit might bring revelation within that produces transformation.

The following is a selection of passages from the Bible that speak of meditation. Where the Hebrew word for meditation has been translated differently, or where the concept of meditation is described, I’ve highlited the idea.

Josh 1:8
8 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.
NKJV

Ps 1:1-3
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
NKJV

Ps 19:14
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
NKJV

Ps 119:15-16
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
NKJV

Ps 119:97
Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
NKJV

Ps 119:99
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
NKJV

Prov 2:1-6
My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
NKJV

Prov 3:1-2
My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
NKJV

1 Tim 4:14-16
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
NKJV

Ps 35:28
28 And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness
And of Your praise all the day long.
NKJV

Ps 37:30-31
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
NKJV

Ps 63:6-7
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
NKJV

Ps 71:24
24 My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.
NKJV

Ps 77:12-15
12 I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
14 You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.
NKJV

Ps 143:5-6
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.
NKJV

Prov 8:6-8
6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips  will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
NKJV

Prov 15:28
28 The heart of the righteous studies [same Hebrew word for meditation] how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
NKJV

The disciples had just passed out five loaves of bread to 5,000 men plus women and children. Each disciple had a complete bag of leftovers when the job was done. Immediately after this, Jesus calms a storm and the disciples were “completely amazed.”

Evidently they should not have been amazed. If you reverse the logic of vs 52 you find that if their hearts had been soft they would have understood something about the loaves and therefore would not have been amazed when Jesus calmed the sea.

There was something they were supposed to understand about the loaves but they missed it. Their hearts were not tender enough to pick up on it. They thought the loaves were about the loaves. They didn’t recognize that God was saying something to them through the loaves.

The text doesn’t tell us what they were supposed to have understood about the loaves. But the passage is clear that if they had understood it, they would not have been amazed. Amazement happens when something occurs outside of our expectations, beyond our grid of understanding and anticipation. If they had understood about the loaves, it would have adjusted their expectations in such a way that Jesus calming the sea would have been expected instead of being a surprise.

Is it possible that God is constantly doing things in our lives and though we’re grateful, we mistakenly think that it was just about the “things”, not realizing that through these things God is revealing something to us about who He is? If we miss it, all we received was the “things”, with maybe a good story and some leftovers for tomorrow, but our view of God hasn’t really shifted. Our expectations haven’t expanded. Our faith hasn’t grown. The way we see reality hasn’t been modified. Our mind hasn’t really been changed.

May we have soft hearts today, not merely receiving what He gives, but hearing what He says in the giving.