Christian Meditation
Two words used for in the Hebrew Old Testament, and they are used some 58 times to mean, listening to God’s word, reflecting on God’s works, rehearsing God’s deeds, ruminating on God’s law and much more.
But in each case there is a huge stress upon a changed behavior as a result of an encounter with the Almighty. Repentance and obedience are essential features in any Biblical understanding of meditation.
Psalm 119:97, 101, 102
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
It is this continued focus upon obedience and faithfulness that most clearly distinguishes Christian meditation from its Eastern and secular counterparts.
Those who walked through the Bible knew how to meditate.
Genesis 24:63
63 He(Isaac) went out to the field one evening to meditate,
Psalm 63:6
6 On my bed I remember you; I think(meditate) of you through the watches of the night.
Psalms almost literally sing of meditation:
Psalm 119:148
148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.
The list goes on and on and on.
In the midst of an exceedingly busy ministry Jesus made a habit of withdrawing to “a lonely place apart” (Matthew 14:13)
Jesus did this not just to be away from people, but also so He could be with the Father.
What did Jesus do time after time in those deserted hills?
He sought out His Heavenly Father; He listened to Him, He communed with Him.
And He beckons us to do the same.
Hearing And Obeying
Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey His Word. It is that simple.
It involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental gymnastics. The truth of the matter is that the great God of the universe, the Creator of all things desires our fellowship.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve talked with God and God with them—they were in communion. Then came the Fall, man ran and God still yearned to fellowship with His creation.
We see the same story in Cain, Abel, Noah, and Abraham, we see God speaking and acting, teaching and guiding.
Moses learned:
Exodus 33:11
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
You could sense and see the intimate relationship between God and Moses. Israel wasn’t ready for such a relationship with God and in Ch. 20 told Moses, you talk with God and we will just talk with you.
Jesus modeled the life of hearing and obeying:
John 5:19
19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
The Purpose of Meditation
In meditation we are growing into what Thomas a Kempis calls “a familiar friendship with Jesus.”
What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart.
Rev. 3:20
20 “I stand at the door and knock”
That was originally penned for believers and not unbeliever. Meditation opens that door. Inward fellowship of this kind transforms the inner personality.
We must meet with Him in our inner rooms.
Understandable Misconceptions
Whenever the Christian idea of meditation is taken seriously, there are those who assume it is synonymous with the concept or meditation centered in Eastern religions. In reality, the two ideas stand worlds apart. Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind.
Human beings seem to have a perpetual tendency to have somebody else talk to God for them. In this way we do not need to go to God ourselves, for to be in the presence of God is to change.
Sanctifying the Imagination
Romans 1:21
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking(imagination) became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Imagination is very important.
Preparing to Meditate
It is impossible to learn how to meditate from a book or a class we learn how to meditate by meditating.
1) Is there a proper time for meditation?
Both—We need to set aside a special time as Christ did but at the same time once we become proficient with it we can do it almost anywhere.
2) What about a place for meditation?
Quite and free from interruptions
3) What about posture?
Body, mind and spirit are all connected if one is tensed then they all will be tensed.
What do we meditate on
Scripture
Prayer
Silence
But in each case there is a huge stress upon a changed behavior as a result of an encounter with the Almighty. Repentance and obedience are essential features in any Biblical understanding of meditation.
Psalm 119:97, 101, 102
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
It is this continued focus upon obedience and faithfulness that most clearly distinguishes Christian meditation from its Eastern and secular counterparts.
Those who walked through the Bible knew how to meditate.
Genesis 24:63
63 He(Isaac) went out to the field one evening to meditate,
Psalm 63:6
6 On my bed I remember you; I think(meditate) of you through the watches of the night.
Psalms almost literally sing of meditation:
Psalm 119:148
148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.
The list goes on and on and on.
In the midst of an exceedingly busy ministry Jesus made a habit of withdrawing to “a lonely place apart” (Matthew 14:13)
Jesus did this not just to be away from people, but also so He could be with the Father.
What did Jesus do time after time in those deserted hills?
He sought out His Heavenly Father; He listened to Him, He communed with Him.
And He beckons us to do the same.
Hearing And Obeying
Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey His Word. It is that simple.
It involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental gymnastics. The truth of the matter is that the great God of the universe, the Creator of all things desires our fellowship.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve talked with God and God with them—they were in communion. Then came the Fall, man ran and God still yearned to fellowship with His creation.
We see the same story in Cain, Abel, Noah, and Abraham, we see God speaking and acting, teaching and guiding.
Moses learned:
Exodus 33:11
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
You could sense and see the intimate relationship between God and Moses. Israel wasn’t ready for such a relationship with God and in Ch. 20 told Moses, you talk with God and we will just talk with you.
Jesus modeled the life of hearing and obeying:
John 5:19
19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
The Purpose of Meditation
In meditation we are growing into what Thomas a Kempis calls “a familiar friendship with Jesus.”
What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart.
Rev. 3:20
20 “I stand at the door and knock”
That was originally penned for believers and not unbeliever. Meditation opens that door. Inward fellowship of this kind transforms the inner personality.
We must meet with Him in our inner rooms.
Understandable Misconceptions
Whenever the Christian idea of meditation is taken seriously, there are those who assume it is synonymous with the concept or meditation centered in Eastern religions. In reality, the two ideas stand worlds apart. Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind.
Human beings seem to have a perpetual tendency to have somebody else talk to God for them. In this way we do not need to go to God ourselves, for to be in the presence of God is to change.
Sanctifying the Imagination
Romans 1:21
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking(imagination) became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Imagination is very important.
Preparing to Meditate
It is impossible to learn how to meditate from a book or a class we learn how to meditate by meditating.
1) Is there a proper time for meditation?
Both—We need to set aside a special time as Christ did but at the same time once we become proficient with it we can do it almost anywhere.
2) What about a place for meditation?
Quite and free from interruptions
3) What about posture?
Body, mind and spirit are all connected if one is tensed then they all will be tensed.
What do we meditate on
Scripture
Prayer
Silence
posted by Pete Houpt @ 12:25 PM
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