“I meditate on your precepts…I will not neglect your Word” (Psalm 119:15,16).

 

Though many religions incorporate it, when it comes to the practice of meditation, none has any stronger claim to it than does Christianity.  Meditation, however, has become a forgotten practice, discovered by groups whose lifestyle and doctrines repel Christians.  How many people do you know who take even five minutes a day to meditate on spiritual matters?  Our busy schedules, frantic lives, and overworked minds just don’t leave room for quiet time to sit and ponder.

The first Psalm speaks of the man who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates in His Word day and night.  The 19th Psalm records the heart cry of the writer as he says, “I meditate on your precepts… I will not neglect your word” (Psalm 119:15,16).

There are rich benefits in learning how to meditate‑‑not as a religious guru who wraps a sheet around himself and sits down in the midst of incense and idols‑‑but as God’s child who stops long enough to focus on what God has done.  And what are the benefits?  The realization that you belong to your Heavenly Father and that He is yours; understanding that the problems of your life aren’t nearly as great as our Heavenly Father; peace of mind and tranquility; and a host of others.

I’ve found that there are three times in a given 24‑hour period when it is best for me to focus on our Heavenly Father: the last thing at night before I go to sleep; the first thing upon waking; and during the hours of the night when sleep doesn’t come for one reason or another.

David, the Psalmist and king of Israel, had learned how those sleepless nights could be turned into profit, for he wrote, “When I remember Thee on my bed, I meditate on Thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice” (Psalm 63:6,7, KJV).

To help you develop the practice of meditating on the things of the Lord, let me make three suggestions as to what to think about:  Unlike the practice of Transcendental Meditation or eastern versions of meditation, whereby a person chants a mantra or a religious word over and over, a Christian focuses his mind upon God.

Are you interested in knowing how to improve your spiritual life through meditation?  Then, Guideline #1:  Focus upon God’s Word, the Bible.  The best way to do this is to memorize Scripture and quote it to yourself.  The next best way is to open the Word and read a short passage: then think about it, pondering the meaning and the application of what you have read.

Then, and this is guideline #2:  Take a few moments and think of the nature and character of God‑‑His majesty and nature, His great love for you.  Focusing on His greatness and majesty will dwarf your problems and help you bring life into perspective.

Guideline #3:  Meditate on what God has done for you personally.  A. W. Tozer used to begin each day quoting the words of the beautiful hymn, “When morning gilds the sky, my heart awakening cries, ‘May Jesus Christ be praised.’  Alike at work or prayer, to Jesus I repair.  May Jesus Christ be praised.”

You will be amazed how your attitude changes in a positive way when you lift your heart in praise to God.  Paul urged us to do this.  That’s what “speaking to yourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual songs” really means.  Long ago God spoke to His children just as He speaks to us and says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a).  It is when we meditate upon Him that we hear His voice and know He is God.  Let God be God.

Resource reading: Psalm 46.