Meditation has a bad connotation for most evangelic Christians. Images of a monk sitting in a cross-legged in silence or a parishioner lighting a candle in front of a statue comes to mind. While those may be acts of meditation, they don't have to define the act of meditating. As Christians, we should actively involved in meditation -- not on an object or through a ritual -- but on the Word of God and the things of Christ.
Meditation is simply, "continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation." (www.dictionary.com). It isn't new age or Eastern religion. It is the process of opening our Bibles, reading the Word combined with thinking about what it says and how it applies, speaking to God about it, listening to Him, and using it throughout the day. Christian catch-phrases for this process are usually "quiet times, prayer time, time with Jesus," but the risk of these expressions is that is blocks off the process to a specific moment in the day. As Christians, we do need to devote a portion of the day to doing this, thus the 5:16 club and my 5 whatever reality, but we can't just turn it off when we are done. We need to continue in that frame of mind throughout our day.
Yes, we need time in order to meditate on God's Word. Even just 30 minutes this morning was enough time to look at my Scripture memory verse again prompted by reading a passage in Joshua about horses and chariots. The time permitted me to go further and look up cross references to the Psalm 20:7 verse,
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
seeking a fuller understanding of what this tiny little verse means to the Lord and to my life. Getting up early, before the distractions of the day drive out my focus, is definitely worth the sacrifice of sleep, but if I wall all that I learned to the moment, what good is it? I have to take it with me throughout the day and think on it -- meditate on it by repeating the verse in my mind, saying it out loud, sharing what I learned with others, sticking Scriptures verses all over my house so that I remember to read them, speaking to the Lord about His Word, and listening to His response. In essence, it is exactly what the Lord instructed His people to do in Deuteronomy 6,
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.Time is beneficial for meditation. Actively doing it is also part of the process, too. It is the development and ongoing investment in our relationship with Jesus.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word and your faithfulness to us even when we are not faithful to you. Please help us Lord to meditate on your Word all day long.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
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Blessings, extravagantly,
Lisa