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There are disciplines that deepen the Christian life. When I use the word ‘disciplines’ here, I mean practices that are deliberate, focused, routine, and consistent in the life of a believer that enhances your knowledge of God, your relationship, and your walk with Him. These disciplines should form part and parcel of your daily Christian walk.
In this blog, we begin with the discipline of meditation.
When many Christians hear the word ‘meditation,’ their minds immediately go to the Eastern religious practice of emptying the mind of all thoughts. Others might think of Transcendental Meditation™, proclaimed by the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1911–2008), a practice in which a person repeats a mantra and other yogic practices to disconnect the mind from anxiety and to promote self-realization.
Christians who think of the patterns mentioned above immediately shut their minds to any talk about meditation. But there is a stark difference between those and the Biblical practice of meditation, which has largely been lost in the Body of Christ today. Christian meditation does not empty the mind of thoughts. It does not promote “self-awareness.”
What is Christian Meditation?
Christian meditation is a spiritual practice that involves the contemplation of God’s Word and the presence of Christ in your life. It is a way of deepening your relationship with God and growing in faith by reflecting on the love and Word of God.
Christian meditation differs from other forms of meditation as it focuses on the person of Jesus Christ and His Word. As I said earlier, it is not emptying one’s mind to achieve a state of relaxation; it is, instead, a process of opening oneself up to the guidance of the Holy Spirit through Scripture reflection and prayer.
Christian meditation seeks to focus and fill the mind with a definite thinking pattern that promotes and enhances your relationship with God, enriches your spirituality and improves your life such that your relationship with other people is also improved.
Ultimately, the aim of Christian meditation is to allow God’s Word to transform your heart and mind, leading to greater love, compassion, and spiritual growth.
Christian meditation should be an essential practice in your Christian life to help you find peace (mental and emotional calm), clarity, and clear direction. We can quiet our minds and listen to God’s voice, which is absolutely essential to discern His will for us.
In addition, Christian meditation can help us overcome stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions and to live victoriously in the present moment. It is a way to focus on God’s love and goodness and be grateful for all He has given us.
We can, therefore, see Christian meditation not only as a spiritual practice but as a way of life that benefits every aspect of our lives.
Well-Known Meditation Passages:
A typical Bible passage that speaks to meditation is Philippians 4:6-9. Many have not noticed that this passage talks about what we meditate on.
Interestingly, it presents meditation in a negative and positive sense as to what your mind is consistently filled with and focused on.
The MESSAGE Translation reads Philippians 4:6-8 thus,
6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life. 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
Verse 6 says, “Don’t fret or worry.” Worry is a pattern of thinking that focuses the mind negatively in a manner that can be harmful. It is rolling problems and circumstances repeatedly in your mind. Worry focuses on problems instead of solutions. It can keep you unsettled in bed throughout the night and cause illness.
Merriam-Webster says worry means “to afflict with mental distress or agitation: [to] make anxious.” An online platform psychologytools.com, says, “Worrying is… thinking about future events in a way that leaves you feeling anxious or apprehensive.”
On the positive side of meditation, Apostle Paul in verse 8, instructs us to “fill your minds meditating on things that are true, noble, reputable” etc. “It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life” vs 4:7.
He says we should meditate “on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse” -Vs 8.
Our thinking patterns determine the direction of our lives. A life of regular meditation in God’s Word will change your thinking patterns and mindset, which in turn, will transform your life in due course. It is no wonder that Psalm 1 says,
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. Ps 1:1-2, NLT.
Psalm 1 speaks to things that can have a negative influence upon our minds and pull us away from God, which we must avoid: “advice of the wicked,” “standing around sinners” (i.e., larking with them), “joining in with mockers.” Instead, we should “meditate on God’s law (Word) day and night.”
The outcomes of the practice of meditating on God’s Word, are clearly stated:
3 He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree planted by God’s design deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss, bearing fruit in every season of life. He is never dry, never fainting, ever prosperous.
6 The Lord embraces their paths as they move forward… v6 -Psalm 1:3,6, TPT.
Recently, during our time of daily devotion, my wife and I were looking at Psalms Chapter One. After reading the Scripture, I asked, “According to this passage, what does a person do to get to that place where “Whatsoever he does shall prosper?” She answered, “Let’s face it, it is to meditate on God’s Word day and night.” Then I followed up with another question, “Then, why do we do other things, leave out meditation and still expect to get the positive results this passage speaks about?” There was a loud silence.
Some people think that worrying is normal. They even fret if they find themselves not worrying about something they assume they should be worrying about. When you tell them not to worry, they say, “Nah! Don’t tell me that. I must worry.” Really, okay, enjoy!
If God’s Word tells us not to make worrying a practice, then it must be wrong to do so. It is that simple.
Christian meditation is essential for any Christian seeking to deepen their union with God and grow in their faith. It provides a way to quiet our minds, open our hearts, and receive God’s guidance, direction, and love. With regular practice, Christian meditation can transform our lives, renew our minds, and fill us with God’s peace, joy, and purpose.
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How to Practice Christian Meditation
Because meditation involves your thinking patterns and the content of your thoughts, you can meditate anywhere, and I mean anywhere! You can deliberately focus your thoughts on God’s Word ANYWHERE and ANYTIME! But it is best to do so in a quiet non-distracting environment. To have an effective time of meditation, work on or do the following:
Location. Locate a place that aids seclusion or with no human traffic. Not every home has a prayer room. It could be a room in your house not used by anyone or somewhere in the office that is always quiet at a certain period. It could mean finding a church near your office at break-time to meditate. Often, certain places in your home can only be quiet at certain times. For example, before everyone else wakes up, the sitting room is so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
Time. Set a regular time. Setting a routine time for meditation and prayer will prime your heart and mind in daily anticipation. Also, it will help you create a schedule you can become used to and stick to. Random times will not help you form a habit. Maintaining a regular schedule will help you develop a habit, and that is vital to keep at it.
Posture. While any particular posture will not make or mar your time of meditation, be physically positioned (sit, stand, lie, walk) in such a manner that will not put a strain on you physically that it creates a distraction.
Depend on the Holy Spirit: You must rest and submit to His leading and be open to Him.
Scripture. Read the Scripture, and then let the Holy Spirit lead you in the particular passage to focus on. Read the portion or verse over and over again. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide and teach you how to apply that scripture to your life.
Focus: Concentrate on the verse or thought about the Scripture you are reading. Mutter it to yourself repeatedly. Subsequently, the Holy Spirit can tell you important things about your life or how to go about a situation. It could be an instruction to carry out, a solution to a problem, or an idea that is business or family-related. Write out the Scripture on a card or note on your mobile device and keep yourself focused on it by checking, reading, or muttering it regularly throughout the day.
Obedience. Whatever the Holy Spirit tells you to do during your meditation, by all means proper, put it to practice. Of course, if you hear something contrary to the Word of God, that is not the Holy Spirit speaking to you. The Holy Spirit will only tell you to do things consistent with the Word of God and the character of Christ.
In conclusion, the discipline of Christian meditation is essential for every believer seeking to grow closer to God and live a more productive and fulfilling Christian life. Like other disciplines that promote the Christian faith, meditation must become a habit if it is to transform your life for good.
Thank you, and do not forget to keep living, Loving, and Learning.
MESSAGE – THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.
NLT – Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
TPT – Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com
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