The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation
Adapted by Simon SweeneyAll of us have experienced the frustration and discouragement of knowing something as true in our minds and yet either forgetting that truth in times of needed application or in failing to experience that truth in our hearts. God provides us with means of moving truth from our minds to our hearts. Meditation is taught and practiced in scripture as a primary spiritual discipline to accomplish just that. Meditation helps us connect the truth we take into our minds and land it in our hearts, thus affecting how we see life and relationships, suffering and sin, and leading us toward God in trust and obedience to Him. Below is a brief overview along with simple instructions on meditation.
It is adapted from Steve Midgley’s article 'Meditating for a Change: Embracing a Lost Art.'
What is Meditation?
Thomas Watson, the puritan writer, defined meditation as ‘a holy exercise of the mind whereby we bring the truths of God to remembrance, and do seriously ponder upon them and apply them to ourselves.’
Meditation is strongly encouraged in the scriptures as a primary means of grounding us in the Lord and protecting us from the fascinations and dangers of sin. Consider Psalm 1.
In meditation, truths are ‘entering the mind and making their way into the heart, so that they might have their proper impact on our affections’ (Midgley). It is a way in which the truth captivates our hearts, moving us toward deeper love for and trust in the Lord. The result is glad obedience from the heart. Meditation, therefore, is one of the primary me1ans by which God intends to transform us.
Goal of Meditation
There are two types or forms of meditation: occasional and deliberate. Occasional meditation corresponds to some situation in which our attention is captured through our physical senses. This could be in observing a beautiful sunset, or the enjoyment of delicious food, or a pleasant scent or touch. These experiences move our hearts, stirring feelings of wonder and awe. In meditation, our intentional use of these feelings are used to move our thoughts to the Lord as the author of these gracious gifts and toward the awareness that He is the greater delight than the gifts He gives. These ponderings and feelings lead to praise and adoration, thanks and gratitude, as well as confession and petition.
The second type is deliberate meditation. In it our minds are ordered and fixed upon the Lord through scripture with the intention of affecting our hearts. While this is not Bible study, per se, it does involve a careful consideration of the scriptural text leading to pressing that text into our thinking and our heart. In other words, Biblical mediation moves that knowledge from the head into the heart.
Practice of Meditation
How do you actually do meditation? Midgley lists five principles:
1. Be alone. Let this be a time with just you and the Lord.
2. Be silent. Meditation should occur where quietness is available and distractions are manageable.
3. Be unhurried. Set aside the needed time. Meditation can be considered your 'quiet time' or 'devotional time.'
4. Be regular. Let meditation become a spiritual habit or discipline. Develop a routine.
5. Be persistent. Don’t give up. Keep at it. The blessing of meditation will come if you are persistent.
Stages of Meditation
Consideration. In consideration, we are wanting to draw out from the text all the meaning we can. We want to mull over the text, reading over it several times,looking at it from different angles, emphasizing particular words, considering other texts that speak similarly about the same subject. We want to wring out as much truth and meaning as we can, letting the truth shape our thinking, adjust our perspective, and influence our interpretations of life.
Soliloquy (or self-talk). Not only to we want to consider the meaning and implications of the text, we want to speak those truths back to ourselves. We are prone to speak distortions to ourselves, therefore, speaking truth directly from the text to ourselves is important. In this manner we are beginning a new habit of self-talk—biblical self-talk. As we are to speak the truth to one another in love (Ephesians 4:15), doing the same to ourselves is very important. It is a means toward the Bible speaking truth to our hearts that simply reading it will not do.
Prayer. Lastly, we want the text to lead us in prayer, both in content and in manner. In order for the text to move into our hearts from our heads, we need additional help—primary help. We need the Lord to move it there, empower it there. This sort of prayer that is part of meditation may be structured as follows:
1. Praise and thanksgiving—focusing on the character, actions, and promises of God. Draw from the text those specific things about God and praise Him for them.
2. Confession—focusing on the ways that we fall short of believing and responding to these truths about God. We confess disobedience, unbelief, wrong beliefs, and misplaced affections. Draw from the text where there are specific needs for confession. Lay these before the Father.
3. Petition—asking God for specific help in regard to a faithful response to the truth revealed in the text. We are asking God to change our hearts toward faith and delight in Him, and for help in obeying the truth revealed and stirring in our hearts. In other words, we ask God to change our lives in respect to the truth upon which we’ve been meditating.
Applying Meditation to Your Situation
Now it is time for you to try meditation for yourself. What is your situation? Is it primarily about a time of suffering? A time of struggle with a specific sin? A relationship? Do you need comfort? Reassurance? Encouragement? Are you in a time of doubt? Now identify a short passage of scripture that addresses your situation. If you are unsure of Bible texts that address your particular struggle, below is are samples. If you need help speak to one of the elders or a godly friend. Below is a sample of verses for specific life struggles:
Comfort—Psalm 23; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Doubt—Proverbs 3:5-8; Isaiah 41:10
Anxiety—Psalms 27; 55; 56; Philippians 4:4-9; 1 Peter 5:6-7
Peace—Isaiah 26:3-4; Philippians 4:4-9
Depression—Psalm 88; Psalm 34:17-18
Suffering—Romans 8:15-18; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18