Christian Meditation

Why do we need to meditate?

Because God’s word tells us to!

What we think about determines our behaviour. That's why God encourages us to think about His Word, or meditate on it.

"And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed." Joshua 1:8

"His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."Psalm 1:2

"I understand more than all my teachers, because I meditate on your instructions. " Psalm 119:19

Meditation is restful contemplation - not passive rest - actively practicing the presence of God - whether it’s focusing on Scripture, or who God is.

Meditation is simply thinking about the things of God.

Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, describes meditation this way:

"Meditation is focused thinking. It takes serious effort. You select a verse and reflect on it over and over in your mind...if you know how to worry; you already know how to meditate".

He also says

"No other habit can do more to transform your life and make you more like Jesus than daily reflection on Scripture … If you look up all the times God speaks about meditation in the Bible, you will amazed at the benefits He has promised to those who take the time to reflect on His Word throughout the day".

In Satisfy Your Soul, Bruce Demarest writes,

"A quieted heart is our best preparation for all this work of God … Meditation refocuses us from ourselves and from the world so that we reflect on God's Word, His nature, His abilities, and His works … So we prayerfully ponder, muse, and 'chew' the words of Scripture …The goal is simply to permit the Holy Spirit to activate the life-giving Word of God".

What should we meditate on?

"Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. "Philippians 4:8

The purpose of Christian mediation is communion with the living God.

The most important part of our life is our walk with God and our friendship with Him. We communicate with God spirit to spirit.

When you still and quiet your soul you’ll find it easier to connect with God.

I usually start with prayer. First I thank God, and then I repent of any sin and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me as I meditate.

Aids to meditation

• A quiet unhurried atmosphere
• A relaxed mind and body
• Discipline - set aside a regular time. Start with just 15 minutes and gradually increase the time.
• Perseverance

When you first start to meditate you’ll probably find you’re distracted by everyday things. Don’t focus on the distractions, learn to let them go. If you stop being bothered about them they’ll begin to fade away.

Here's an extract from Wikipedia for those of you who like more detail.

In the Old Testament , there are two Hebrew words for meditation: hāgâ (Hebrew: הגה), which means to sigh or murmur, but also to meditate, and sîḥâ (Hebrew: שיחה), which means to muse, or rehearse in one's mind.

Lectio Divina

Formal Christian meditation began with the early Christian Monastic practice of reading the Bible slowly. Monks would carefully consider the deeper meaning of each verse as they read it.

This slow and thoughtful reading of Scripture, and the ensuing pondering of its meaning, was their meditaiton. This spiritual practice is called "divine reading", or lectio divina.

Sometimes the monks found themselves spontaneously praying as a result of their meditation on Scripture, and their prayer would in turn lead on to a simple, loving focus on God. This wordless love for God they called contemplation.

The progression from Bible reading, to meditation, to prayer, to loving regard for God, was first formally described by Guigo II, a Carthusian monk and prior of Grande Chartreuse. Guigo named the four steps of this "ladder" of prayer with the Latin terms lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio.

St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) practiced contemplative prayer for periods of one hour at a time, twice a day. In her Life she recounts that she found this very difficult for the first several years. She had no one to teach her, and taught herself from the instructions given in a book.

Her starting point was the practice of "recollection". Recollection means an effort of the will to keep the senses and the intellect in check and not allow them to stray. One restricts the attention to a single subject, principally the love of God. It is called recollection because the soul collects together all the faculties and enters within itself to be with God.

Because St Teresa found it difficult to concentrate, she would use devices such as short readings from an inspiring book, a scene of natural beauty or a religious statue or picture to remind her of her intended focus.

In due course, the mind becomes effortlessly still. The initial practice St Teresa viewed as the voluntary effort of the individual, while the subsequent stillness and joy she saw as gifts from God.

Madame Guyon (1648-1717) was a French mystic and writer. As a 19-year-old, she was greatly influenced by an encounter with a Franciscan priest who had just emerged from a five-year retreat. She asked him why she was having such difficulties with prayer, and he replied:

"It is, Madame, because you seek without what you have within. Accustom yourself to seek God in your heart, and there you will find Him". In her mid-thirties, Madame Guyon wrote her Moyen court et très facile de faire oraison, which in English is titled A short and very easy method of prayer.

I hope that's inspired you to meditate. It really will help you to draw closer to God and become more and more aware of His presence.