 |
|
|
|
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in season, and it leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:1 - 3
The Word of God has been given to us for many reasons. It is our introduction to God. In it, we see His character, His plan for our lives, His commands about how to live and love and lean on Him. It is also our daily resource of strength, of wisdom, of courage and encouragement. God's Word leads us into the presence of the Almighty. We have, in those pages, a front row seat to watch the redemptive work of the Lord throughout history. We glean from God's creation a picture of His power, His creativity, His plan. We gather from our experience that God is faithful; He is good and loving and sovereign. And in His Word, we see the most detailed picture of who God is, how He works and what He promises to His children.
Daily, then, we need to immerse ourselves in those pages. The discipline of meditation or quiet time celebrates the disciples' utter dependence on the living, breathing, active Word of God (Hebrews 4:12 & 13).
Meditation, however, is not merely reading the Word of God. Just as it is possible to take a walk through a garden and miss the gardener's prize rose bushes, it is possible to read God's Word with such speed and efficiency that you will yield the same results as a jaunty walk. You've exercised your heart, your lungs, your legs and your constitution, but your soul may as well have stayed in bed.
Rather, meditation defines a much more leisurely and gradual stroll through that garden, taking notice of plants and flowers, of colors and textures, of smells and arrangements and all other sensual and visceral delights. Meditation, by definition, describes an attitude of reflection, of slow and methodical musing, of deep and continuous thought upon a single subject or truth.
Meditation is different than the study of God's Word. For example, continuing with the gardening metaphor, in the study of God's Word, when one finds a garden that is so beautiful and breathtaking that one must have it for oneself, one de-constructs the garden in order to reconstruct it. One studies the placement of the various flowers in orientation to one another, the boundaries and dimensions of the garden, the artistry of the gardener and so on. It requires a more intensive and skilled evaluation of the garden itself. But when one is meditating on the garden, one may appreciate its grand scope and scale, but one desires only to walk away with a single flower or a small bouquet. That single flower or small bouquet will be carried by the individual throughout the day and beyond.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do according to all
that is written in it.
For then you will make your ways prosperous,
and then you will have good success.
Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:8 & 9 (Emphasis added)
TO BEGIN MEDITATION:
WHAT DOES THE PASSAGE SAY?:
After you have the basics down, begin to look for clues that the author left about his intention for writing. What is he trying to communicate to his audience, first to the individual(s) to whom he wrote and now, to us. Some people find it helps to rewrite the passage in one's own hand to reinforce the words and the teaching. Decide for yourself if that would be helpful. Write down your thoughts that come as you read and reread the text.
TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING:
WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS?:
As you work through various passages of Scripture over time, write down in each section the things you notice about God's Word that promise, exhort, encourage or warn you as you work through this Christian life. Remember, meditations are prized roses that we gather into bunches and then bushels and then entire gardens over time. You may find yourself turning to the pages on God's promises during a season of discouragement when you need to be reminded of the hope we have in Christ. Perhaps you will need to review what you've learned about God's character over the course of the last several years or you may need to be reminded of your priorities as you review your notebook on God's commands about how to live this life. Don't trust the jewels of your meditation on God's Word to your fallible memory - write it down so you can review it often.
HOW DO I APPLY THE TEXT TO MY DAY / TO MY LIFE?
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
bearing with one another and,
if one has a complaint against another,
forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you also must forgive.
These two verses were a part of my meditation for almost two months. Day after day, working my way through each word, toiling to grasp the nuance of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Daily, wrapping my arms around Paul (and God) calling me "beloved" (one of my favorite titles in all of Scripture). Unsettled over the command to bear with one another, and always something in the background, not clear but always there. Then, it hit me, the picture of forgiveness and of grace (as a necessary ingredient to be kind, compassionate, humble, meek and patient) is wrapped up in 14 words - "forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive". In other words, Jesus modeled all of it first. To ignore the command to forgive or love or be compassionate would be like rejecting the forgiveness and love and compassion that I, myself, have received from Him. It was a freeing thought to realize that I am not the initiator nor the standard of forgiveness, compassion, kindness and so on. I am merely a conduit, passing on the bounty to any and every one that I myself have received. For me, that was a great meditation as it showed me more of Jesus' heart for the lost and taught me how to show my love for Jesus in and through the activity of loving others.
AND FINALLY, PRAY:
Meditation is not a single act, nor can it be completed the way one completes the building of a chair. It is a way of life. You will be constantly learning and growing as you plumb the inner depths.
Richard Foster, "Celebration of Discipline"
GROUP ACTIVITY: TRY THIS SAMPLE TEXT
Take the next five minutes and meditate on this passage from Jeremiah. Glean what you can from this passage using some of the tools in this teaching:
Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in Him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when the heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:5 - 8
PRACTICING THE DISCIPLINE OF MEDITATION:
Choose one of the following selections to meditate upon for your quiet time for the next two weeks. Using the tools you have learned, glean the riches of these passages and record what your chosen passage teaches you about God, about your relationship with Him and about the Christian life in general.
PSALM 119
For our next discipleship breakfast, prepare a 3 to 5 minute teaching on what you learned during the two weeks meditating on this section of Scripture. Include not only what you gleaned from the text, but also how it impacted your life.
Let these words be your prayer as you learn to meditate daily on God's Word.
Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
|
© 2001 Epiphany Communications. All rights reserved.
|
Home |
Healing the Past Book |
Spiritual Disciplines Workbook |
Order Form Testimonies | Statement of Faith | To Book A Speaking Engagement Free Material Contact Us | Privacy/Return Policy |
Another site created and maintained by
Web1 Digital Interface, Inc.
