I bet you will agree with me when I tell you that I think biblical meditation is becoming a lost art for many Christian men today. In this article you will discover:
- The FOCUS of biblical meditation.
- The FRUIT of biblical meditation.
- The FREQUENCY of biblical meditation.
Consider the following scripture:
Psalm 104:24–35 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. 27 These wait upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. 28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. 31 The glory of the LORD shall endure forever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.
32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. 33 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD. 35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.”
Another word for meditation, is reflection, because it involves looking back on something and thinking about it again and again.
To turn that thought in your mind, over and over again, until you have looked at it, and thought upon it, from every angle.
Biblical meditation is different from the types of meditation used in Eastern religions. Mediation in the Bible is not mystical, or overly spiritual.
Biblical meditation, in the context of the biblical definition, is the art of contemplating scriptural things.
I say that it is an art because doing it effectively takes refinement, energy, and focus.
In the Bible, it was David that made an art of contemplating and reflecting on the things of God. The Book of Psalms is an incredible example of authentic biblical meditation.
It’s important to note that in the scriptures, meditation and prayer often go together. They are a natural team in the Christian life.
So let’s consider some of the Important Elements of Biblical Meditation.
The Focus of Meditation
Focus on God
Psalm 104:33-34 “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.”
We live such busy lives, and taking the time to focus our heart and mind on God takes intentionality.
We have to do it on purpose, and force other thoughts out of our minds, to bring our thoughts of God to the forefront.
I love what David said, “My meditation of him shall be sweet”…
The time we take to quietly reflect on God himself is a precious time. That is one of the reasons that daily devotion time is so important.
Daily devotion times are perfect for fine-tuning the art of biblical meditation.
We should also –
Focus on Instruction
1 Timothy 4:15 “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”
This verse in the Book of Timothy comes after a great deal of instruction had been given to him by Paul the Apostle.
Biblical instruction for us today is as important as it was for anyone in Bible times. We need more Christians to be well instructed by the Word of God.
It’s a wonderful thing, as you read the Bible, to stop and ponder when you come across some wise instructions from the Word of God.
Take the time to meditate on it.
Focus on The Word
Psalm 119:148 “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.”
Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Biblical meditation requires that the Word of God, the Bible, be the primary focus.
It is from the Word of God, that the very thoughts of God, are revealed.
We cannot know the mind of God, but we can know some of his thoughts as they are revealed in His Word.
Our goal then is to have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:14–16 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
So we see here, that if we are saved, with the help of the Spirit of God, we can have the mind of Christ.
The Fruit of Meditation
What do we gain, when we meditate biblically? Why did David love to meditate she much?
Spiritual Satisfaction
Psalm 63:5–6 “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches.”
Nothing satisfies as God does. There is a deep satisfaction in your soul, that can only be gained through God, and thinking about the things of God. It brings joy, which leads to praising God for his goodness.”
Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Another fruit that is gained is –
Spiritual Understanding
Psalm 49:3 “My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.”
Psalm 119:99 “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.”
One of the fruits of biblical meditation is that we gain wisdom and understanding from the scriptures.
It says in Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
It’s no coincidence that the Book of Proverbs is a primary subject of so much biblical thought and contemplation.
We gain wisdom and understanding when we take time for meditation.
The Frequency of Meditation
How often should we meditate on these things? How much is enough, and how much is too much?
The answer is, as often as possible.
Here is some scriptural guidance, on the Frequency of Meditation. The Bible tells us that it is good to do it –
All Day
Psalm 119:97 “…O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”
Again, this is David, who truly, and literally, refined biblical meditation to an art.
David loved to meditate on God, and the things of God, whenever he could.
He craved for the time when he could do it, and what a blessing it is that he wrote so much of it down for us in the Psalms.
The Bible also suggests that we meditate –
In The Evening
Genesis 24:63 “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.”
This is a natural time, as the day draws to a close, to reflect on how the day went and on how good God is.
In this case, it was Isaac, a great man of God, that went for a walkout in the field, for the specific purpose of meditation.
What an inspirational scripture to see this great Patriarch of the Faith, going for a walk to think about God and the things of God.
It was here in Genesis 24, just after he went for this walk, that Isaac saw his wife Rebekah for the first time.
So, we can meditate….
- All Day
- In the Evening
Another suggestion from the Bible is to meditate –
In the Night
Psalm 119:148 “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.”
Here David tells us that he meditates in “the night watches”.
This is speaking of those moments in the middle of the night when you wake up.
David is saying, that when that happened to him, he wouldn’t close his eyes and go back to sleep….
Often, he would just wake up, and get some secret time meditating in the Word of God.
What an amazing man David was.
Final Word on Biblical Meditation
Biblical meditation is a lost art….but I don’t think it is so lost….that any one of us could not find it again.
Any of us here could take up the Art of Biblical Meditation….and start reflecting…in the Mirror of Meditation.
If you do, you would be rare among other Christians. And you would benefit much more than the average Christian does as well.