Meditation – What Is It?

How we can learn to meditate on the Word of God? Meditating on God's Word shapes our worldview. Our worldview is the grid through which we view all of life. The way we view life determines our practical, daily response to our circumstances. Meditation on God's Word is critical for the child of God.

It is so critical that God commends meditation in Psalm 1. God promises blessing and success to all who meditate in His Word day and night. The best way to do this is to memorize Scriptures that pertain to whatever you might be struggling with and then throughout the day to use those Scriptures in prayer. For example, if you are struggling with gossip you might memorize James 3:3-6.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Then, when you are tempted to gossip, ask God to apply what you memorized to that situation. Quote the verse as your prayer:

Dear Lord, my tongue is a small part of my body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest I might set on fire by a small spark of my own gossip. Help me to speak what is pure and good, words that do not offend or tear down, but build up and encourage.

One goal of meditation is to glorify God by allowing His Word to change our lives from the inside out. It is wise to memorize large chunks of Scripture that you can use as weapons of warfare against the devil. Scriptures imbedded in our minds act as little time bombs that explode at the right moment to guard us against sin. Scripture is what Jesus used to resist temptation. That is what James 4:7-10 means when it says:

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

When James says to "come near to God" he means to come near to His Word. As we do, God comes near to us and Satan flees since he is at heart a bully and a coward. When Satan sees the Word at work in our hearts he runs for cover. Submitting to God's Word is an act of humility, a demonstration that we cannot handle temptation or growing in holiness without His strength. When we submit to the Word we submit to Christ and then, and only then, Christ lifts us up. There is no shortcut to holiness. We demonstrate our love for Christ by loving and obeying His Word. To love Him is to obey Him.

2 John 6: And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.