Biblical meditation is a spiritual discipline that requires intentional effort. It is necessary for the believer to learn to think spiritually throughout the day so they can accomplish spiritual objectives.
Far too many Christians think about spiritual things at specific times of their lives such as when at church, when doing devotions, etc. But they have never developed the habit of thinking on Scripture throughout each day and night. Failing to meditate translates into a failure to be prepared for the spiritual opportunities that God brings into a believer’s life each and every day and it also leaves the believer ill-equipped to deal with the temptations that come into their lives.
Let’s suppose a person wants to begin learning to meditate. They could take a well-known verse like John 3:16. I suspect that most Christians know this verse but few have seriously meditated on it.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
To meditate is to carefully consider each word and phrase of a verse or verses. The objective is to understand the verse and respond appropriately.
Take the first phrase, “For God so loved the world…” There are many questions that could be asked regarding this truth. Why did God love the world? What does it mean that He loves the world? How has He shown His love to the world? The questions can go on and on. Some answers will be found in this verse. Other answers will be found in different Scripture passages.
In the process of meditating, the believer might stop and consider how they have experienced the love of God. This could lead to thankfulness to the Lord for His kindness. The believer might also consider how God demonstrates His love to other believers and unbelievers. They might consider if they show the same kind of love to people as God has shown. This could lead to a time of confession and a resolve to do better loving others. The believer might pray that they will learn to love people in a God-honoring way. They might begin praying for specific people who need to see God’s love demonstrated.
Meditation helps a believer to grow in their understanding of God’s word. The better a believer understands God’s word, the more they will be able to live in obedience.
Now let’s assume the believer is meditating on God’s word as they walk through the day. They are focusing on the love of God. They look around them and begin to think how they can show God’s love to their business associate, fellow student, neighbor, etc. As they learn to see people as God’s sees them, they will be amazed by the number of ministry opportunities that are readily available.
If you are going to begin meditating on God’s word, you must plan to memorize verses, or write them down, or put them on your phone, etc. You have to have the word of God easily accessible. You have to train yourself to reflect on these verses often throughout the day. In the next article I will explain how facing temptation can be an excellent reminder to meditate on the word.
