Week 3 - Can Christians meditate?

Sacred Insight: Application
How can you apply this scripture to your own life in accordance with God’s will?

Last week we talked about the idea of coming to God without solutions. Like the Israelites, we heard from God that he desires for us to come to him with nothing but our trust and knowing that he is always fighting for us and that his solutions are infinitely better than any solution we could cook up.
But that’s not always easy. If you’re like me, when worries or thoughts come your way, that little hamster in your brain hops on his wheel and starts furiously running whether you sanction his activity or not. You may be in the middle of a prayer and the next thing you know, that hamster is off to the races and you don’t know even know what happened. All you know is that your focus is wrecked and your prayers have been hijacked.

First of all. Give yourself a break. It happens to all of us. The truth is that we live in a fast-paced world where distraction is never-ending. It’s hard to break free. Prayer is certainly the mainstay of any believer and it is our primary way of communicating, connecting and trusting in the Lord’s power and sovereignty, but I’ve discovered something else that helps.

Remember the second half of our verse? “You only need to be still”. One great way to do this is through meditation.

Unfortunately, the idea of meditation within the Christian culture often gets a bad rap. It’s true that meditation is often used as a practice invoking images of Buddha statues and chanting, and the thick aroma of incense. But this kind of meditation is not what we’re talking about here. So before you go thinking that I’m is about to get all woo-ey, hear me out. Meditation for a believer is not the same as meditation from a secular perspective.

What is meditation for a Christ Follower?
Meditation, when done outside of Faith in Christ, is typically thought of as the emptying of the mind. The intention is to stop the incessant brain chatter and worries that constitute our daily lives and instead, to focus on either positive self-affirmation-type things or nothing at all.

Christian meditation is likewise aimed at eliminating our self-preoccupation and quieting our self-consumed mini-universe, but rather than emptying our minds of all thoughts or focusing on self power, the aim is to fill ourselves up with God’s presence, his Word, love and praise for him. This involves, like our scripture says, simply being still and, rather than making our own words to God the focus, listening for our Father’s voice, absorbing the scriptures, and resting in God’s love and peace.

Meditation as a spiritual practice
You may not have realized it, but David, whom God dubbed as a “man after his own heart” (Acts 13:22) spoke often in the Psalms about the goodness and necessity of meditation.

Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

David promotes the benefits of meditating on the Lord’s commandments and goodness as something that grounds and nourishes our soul. He said that this makes us “like a tree planted by streams of water”.

Psalm 1: 1 Blessed is the one  who does not walk in step with the wicked  or stand in the way that sinners take  or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,  and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,  which yields its fruit in season  and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

So often we come to God in prayer, but we don’t engage in the practice of trusting, digesting the words of the Bible and resting quietly in God’s peace. We talk but we don’t listen. We understand, but we don’t practice. This is where meditation comes in -it’s about active trust, active listening and active communing with our Father. This is what believer’s meditation is about.

Think about it like this. If you wanted to become good at tennis or playing the piano, you would spend time practicing those things. The same goes for becoming faithful, learning to be still and trusting in the Lord – and meditation is a great way to practice those things.

Believer’s meditation – Step by Step

Find a quiet place in your house without distraction.
Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
Repeat Exodus 14:14 silently in parts.
Start with “The Lord will fight for you” and repeat that slowly multiple times, leaving ample space in between. Avoid trying to dissect it and intellectualize it. Just let the words float in your mind and focus on how you feel viscerally. Allow space for God to speak to you through this scripture.
Repeat with the second half of the scripture.
If and when your mind wanders, gently dismiss your thoughts and come back to the scripture.

How can you apply our scripture to your life in a practical way?

How is meditation different from prayer for the believer?

Live It Out:

Carve out a time each day this week to sit in silent meditation with the Lord. Start with 2 minutes and simply listen for the Holy Spirit’s promptings in your life, working up to longer timeframes.
Begin utilizing the meditation track on this page and on the subsequent scriptures as a regular practice.