Meditation - Session 3

Course: Spiritually Fit

January 28, 2021 | Kevin Austin

What does the Bible have to say about meditation?
Read each of these passages and consider what each has to teach us about meditation?

Joshua 1:8–

Psalm 1 (especially verses 2-3)-

Psalm 19:14-

Psalm 119:97-105-

Psalm 143:5-6

Philippians 4:8-9-

James 1:19-25

What is meditation?
Simply put, meditation is hearing God in His word and chewing on it until it becomes a part of us in every way. In many ways, meditation is working, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to create a space for God through His Word to work His grace and transformation in our hearts, minds, and souls.

Martin Luther describes meditation saying (Kleinig, John W. 1986. “The Kindled Heart Luther on Meditation.” Lutheran Theological Journal, no. 20/2 & 3: 143.

To meditate means to think persistently, deeply and diligently. Properly speaking, it means to chew over something in the heart. So to meditate means to engage (something as if) it were in the middle, or to be moved in the very middle and centre. Whoever therefore thinks, investigates, discusses etc. inwardly and diligently, that person meditates. But no-one meditates on the law of the Lord unless his desire has first become fixed on it. For what we desire and love we chew over inwardly and diligently.

Joyce Huggett speaks to the purpose of Christian mediation saying (Foster, Richard J., and Emilie Griffin. 2000. Spiritual Classics. New York: Harper Collins, 10-11):

Christian meditation has nothing to do with emptying our minds. Christian meditation engages every part of us – our mind, our emotions, our imagination, our creativity and, supremely, our will… We meditate to give God’s words the opportunity to penetrate, not just our minds, but our emotions – the places where we hurt – and our will – the place where we make choices and decisions. We meditate to encounter the Living Word, Jesus himself. We meditate so that every part of our being, our thoughts and our affections and our ambitions, are turned to face and honour and glorify him. Yet another reason for learning to meditate is so that we may become conversant with the will of God.

What are some misconceptions about meditation?

  • Meditation is only for Eastern religions. - While meditation is definitely an important part in the life of many Eastern religions, there is a strong Biblical case for meditation to be a part of the Christian life. There is a very important difference between Eastern meditation and Christian meditation. In Eastern meditation, the goal is to empty the mind and one’s whole self that one might become detached from the world and your surroundings. In Christianity, while there is a call to focus and detachment from distractions, the goal is more to be filled with God and His Word.
  • Meditation is too difficult and too complicated. - While meditation may not be something that comes naturally to everyone, it is certainly not just for the professionals or spiritually elite. Thomas Merton once wrote, “meditation is really very simple and there is not much need for elaborate techniques to teach us how to go about it.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer once responded to the question of why meditated and his answer was simply, “because I am a Christian.” When Bonhoeffer created a German seminary, he made sure that meditation was part of everyone’s day that was a part of the seminary.
  • Meditation is completely impractical and out of touch with life in today’s world. – As we discussed in the video, we daily battle busyness and countless distractions. Life can be hectic and crazy. While these challenges are very real, they do not mean that meditation is impossible. In fact, they actually serve to highlight our even greater need for meditation. It should also be understood that while there may be a taking a pause from the routine to meditate, the purpose of meditation is not to segregate from daily life but to send us into our daily and ordinary lives with a Godly perspective and purpose.
  • Meditation is a religious form of psychological manipulation. – The focus in meditation is not manipulation but bringing us as God’s people into communion with God. It is a moment to spend with God that through engaging with Him, we might be transformed by His work in that moment and throughout our lives.
  • Meditation requires a special place and position and time to be done properly. – While place, space, body positioning, and time of day can be of value and have an impact on meditation, there is not only one such space or place or time. Many have offered suggestions in terms of things they have found helpful, but none of these suggestions are to be seen as one size fits all. For one person, the best place might be alone with the beautiful confines of a sanctuary. For another person, the best place may be out in a beautiful place in nature. While for still others, the perfect space may be in a bustling coffee shop. Some people may meditate best lying down while others meditate best while walking. Some people meditate best first thing in the morning, while others may not be able to function without their morning cups of caffeine.

What is the normal rhythm of meditation?

What are some practical insights for meditation?

  • Spend time preparing for it. – For Luther, he talked about always preceding time in meditation in prayer. Additionally, Luther would recite things like the Lord’s Prayer and 10 Commandments to ready his heart and mind to spend time together with God in His word. The whole of meditation should be a prayer-filled process in which God is the one leading, teaching, guiding, and filling us.
  • Read Scripture with humility. – We don’t approach Scripture already having all of the answers and asking God to bless our opinions. We come to God’s Word humbly open to what He says. We repent where God calls us to repent. In areas where we are challenged, we work through the challenge. When we are wrong, we do not dismiss God’s Word but work to correct our errors.
  • You don’t have to read a ton of Scripture. – There is oftentimes a sense of need to get through an entire chapter or listed reading. Sometimes meditation is spending an extended period of time focusing on just a verse or a word or a phrase.
  • Enter into the text as a participant rather than a spectator- Read the passage over and over again. Consider what it would be like from the perspective of one character then another. Read it slowly and allow yourself to become a part of the text.
  • Choose one idea to bring with you from your time of meditation. – When studying a text in the Bible, there can be a myriad of things that jump out to you. Often the challenge isn’t finding something meaningful but being so overwhelmed by everything that we get nothing from it. Instead, pick one idea to focus on that is simple, tweetable (144 characters or less) that you can carry with you all day long. Seek to find ways to share that idea with someone else or incorporate that truth into your life.

Let’s Give This A Try
Here are three different exercises to try as you spend some time trying meditation in the coming week.

Exercise 1
Spend some time praying and asking God to open your ears that you may hear what God would have you to hear, your eyes that you might see him in the text, your mind that you might understand, and your heart that you might receive the message He has for you.

Read Luke 15:11-32 out loud and consider what sticks out to you from the text. Read the text again this time quietly from the perspective of the younger son. What sticks out to you from the younger son's perspective? Read the text again quietly this time from the perspective of the older brother. What sticks out to you
From the older brother's perspective? Now finally read the story one last time together this time looking at the story from the Father's perspective. As you reflect on all four readings together, what does this text teach you about God and his incredible love for you? What does this text teach us about ourselves?

Exercise 2
Spend some time meditating on Psalm 1 and what it teaches about the difference between a wise man and a fool. What is one idea that you want to take with you from this text and focus on throughout your day?

Exercise 3
Find a time and place that you can set aside that will be quiet then choose a verse or a few verses to focus on asking God to open your eyes to see what He has for you in these words.

Course Information

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