Table of Contents
1) Introduction to the Discipline of Meditation
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
The Discipline of Meditation is the first Inward Discipline. It deals with opening ourselves to hear God speak to us, and helps us to obey him.
Back to top2) What Biblical Meditation is not
Biblical Meditation is NOT the same as the "Eastern" concept of meditation, where the practitioner tries to reach some "Higher State" by emptying the mind.
In fact, Jesus warns against this sort of practice when he says:
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. -- Matthew 12:43-45 (and the parallel in Luke 11:24-26)
This tells us that just "removing the bad" won't help us in the end, as we need to fill up with the right thinking.
A second misconception about Meditation is that it is hard to achieve. Unlike the "Eastern" forms of Meditation, which sometimes talk about needing to spend a long time in careful training to reach the point where you get the major benefits of it, Biblical Mediation can give significant positive results even at the start, even if not done well. Just by making a bit of effort to look for and listen to God speaking through something will help you hear him talk to you.
Back to top3) What Biblical Meditation is
Biblical Meditation is in contrast to that. It isn't focused on emptying, but on filling. One tries to fill ones mind with thoughts of God, of his nature, his word, his attributes, etc, and in doing so, this will tend to push out that "bad" thoughts.
3.1) Some techniques to help you Meditate
3.1.1) On Scripture
The center point of Biblical Meditation is to meditate on the Scriptures. Unlike "Bible Study" where you critically look at a set of passages and compare them to other passages to dig out the deeper meanings in the text, Meditation looks at a small piece, and tries to bring it "into" you and let it take root.
3.1.2) Imagination.
One part of doing this, is to look at an event described or a principle explained, and using your imagination, think about it, and imagine what things might have been like. Think of yourself actually in that event or living out the principle. What might have happened, how do things work together?
3.1.3) Recollection: Palms Down / Palms Up
Another form of meditation has been titled variously "recollection", "Centering Down", or as one form of it, "Palms Down / Palms Up". In this, you first sit still with the palms of your hands pointing down, and you pray to turn over to God any of your concerns, preferably naming them, and then release them, perhaps saying "Palms Down". After you feel some release, turn your palms up and ask for God to fill you with the answer, and perhaps say "Palms Up", and let him answer in the way he wills.
3.1.4) On Creation
The Scriptures tell us to meditate on his works, and one great way to do that is to look at the Creation, and look for God's character in them, see how he has put everything together, and see his handiwork in it.
3.1.5) On the World
The flip side of this is to sit and think about what is happening around you and to you. Try to imagine possible purposes behind it. (You may not be able to actually know why something is happening, but think of possibilities). Think about (and search the Scriptures) for insight into how God describes these sorts of things. (Beware of political slants and propaganda about events)
3.1.6) Memorization
An important thing to do these things is to start to put some Scriptures into your memory. Having key verses available, means that you can bring them up to your mind when times come when they are applicable. It also allows you to stop and Meditate on these verses when you feel the need to draw nearer to God.
3.2) What Biblical Meditation produces
The biggest thing that meditation produces is an understanding of God, and from that understanding learn to recognize his voice, trust in him, and obey his commands.
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