The Value Of Biblical Meditation

 Since meditation requires diligent work, the temptation is great to simply glide through life without slow and careful reflection on God’s Scripture and how our lives compare to it. Followers of the Lord, however, are instructed to make meditation a regular part of life. For example, Joshua was told by God to constantly meditate on the book of the law so that he would have good success in his life and in leading the Israelite people. In Psalm 1, the psalmist describes how the godly person’s “delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law He meditates day and night” (Psalm 1.2). The Hebrew word for “meditate” literally means, “to mutter” and describes the prevalent ancient practice of memorizing and reciting aloud the words of Scripture. So what does Psalm 1 teach us about the profits and meaning of meditation?

1) Stability. According to Psalm 1, the person who delights in meditating on God’s words is like a tree that is planted by a stream of nourishing water (vs. 3). Because of its deep roots, the tree will not blow away at the slightest gust of wind. Because of its proximity to water, it will still be strong and healthy in times of drought. Likewise, when we place the roots of our mind deep into the words of God, we will have stability, even in very difficult seasons of life.

2) Substance. In contrast to the firmly-planted righteous, the wicked in Psalm 1 are described as “chaff that the wind drives away” (Psalm 1.4). Chaff is the husk around the kernel in grain. Once it is separated from the seed, chaff will go anywhere with a puff of wind. People who resemble chaff are driven whichever way cultural opinion blows. People who practice godly meditation, however, have substance in their hearts and minds. They have deep convictions that are carefully searched out. They can explain difficult ideas with simple language, and they have solid reasons behind everything they do.

3) Fruit. While chaff cannot grow or produce anything, the tree that is pictured in Psalm 1 is always green (“its leaf does not wither”) and constantly moving through cycles of bearing fruit. Elsewhere in the Bible, God describes fruit in terms of character qualities like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5.22). The goal of spiritual meditation is not to feel close to God, although that certainly can occur; the goal of meditation is to change our lives to resemble God.

In contrast to some secular and religious meditation techniques that encourage practitioners to completely empty their minds, Biblical meditation is meant to sharpen our minds and souls. Rather than forgetting all words, ideas, and images, God desires us to deeply ponder His words, ideas, and images so that we can center our lives on our Creator. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Colossians 3.16).                                                                                   Nathan