Meditation is trending these days, and it’s no surprise. Our world has become busier, louder, and more extreme. When countless things vie for our attention, people will look for ways to turn off the noise and pause.
But what does the Bible have to say about mediation? Isn’t meditation an Eastern Religion thing? How does the Bible define meditation?
These are all important questions, and we will explore them in this article. The truth is, God actually commands us to spend time in meditation, but Biblical meditation looks a little different than the trendy versions of meditation that are popular today.
What is Biblical Meditation?
The Bible uses the word “meditate” several times. For instance, Joshua 1:8 (ESV) says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
In the Old Testament, the verb translated as meditate is the Hebrew word “hāgâ.” The Hebrew word is used throughout Scripture and means, “to murmur, growl, utter, speak, muse, or ponder.”
In other words, meditating on the Bible goes far beyond reading it. We need to slow down, ponder it, speak it, think about it, and slowly digest it so that it can take root in our hearts and change us.
Charles Spurgeon shared this famous analogy in his sermon, How to Read the Bible, “The cattle crop the grass, but the nutrition comes from the chewing of the cud! Reading is the gathering together of our food, but meditation is the chewing of the cud, the digesting, the assimilating of the Truth of God!”
If you’ve ever watched a cow eat grass, you know they don’t do it quickly. They chew on it, savor it, really get everything they can out of it before swallowing it (and they often bring it back up to chew on it some more).
Biblical meditation then, stands in contrast to the popular forms of Eastern religion meditation, where the goal is to empty your mind of all thought. Instead, with Biblical meditation the goal is to fill your mind with God’s Word and to think about what He has done. It is an active engagement with Scripture, in which you read it, ponder it, and even speak it out loud.
Why Should You Meditate on Scripture?
There are a number of reasons we should meditate on Scripture. First, God calls us to do it!
In the verses we read earlier from Joshua, God commands him by saying, “you shall meditate on it day and night…” This is not a suggestion—Joshua needed to obey, and so do we.
This is not a command without benefits, however, and God immediately explains the rationale. Why meditate on God’s Word? “so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Meditation builds character and really helps the truth sink into our hearts. It transforms us, making us more like God. His Word is living and active; it will move in us when we meditate on it and seek to understand it.
Not only that, the verses in Joshua say it leads to a successful, prosperous life. Another popular Bible passage about meditation, Psalm 1:1-3 (ESV), affirms this idea:
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
When you meditate on the Word of the Lord, you will be like a tree planted by streams of water. When a tree is planted in good soil near good water, it cannot help but produce good fruit. In the same way, when we plant ourselves firmly in God’s Word, we cannot help but produce good fruit. Our character will improve, and our efforts will be prosperous, because we meditated on God’s Word.
How to Meditate on Scripture
In the Journey curriculum, we share the P.R.A.I.S.E. method for reading the Bible. This acrostic will help you understand the basics of how to read, interpret, and apply the Bible to your life.
Pray First: Our nature is to be blind to spiritual things, so we need God to make us spiritually sensitive to what He wants to teach us. The Psalms contain a prayer that would serve us well: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18 ESV).
Read the Text: If you read the Bible randomly—a verse here and a verse there—it i’s almost certain that you will never really understand the major teachings of Scripture. Most of the Bible is meant to be read in paragraphs and sections. Chapter divisions are convenient section markers.
Ask Questions: Ask interpretive questions to help you get at the facts. What is the issue? What does that word mean? What is the flow of thought? Why did he say that? But be sure to ask application questions, too. What should I do? Learn? Believe? Repent of? How should I respond?
Interpret in Context: Be careful that you do not interpret a word, phrase, or verse in a way that is not consistent with its context. Check your conclusions by asking yourself if the author would have intended his original audience to understand him the way you are interpreting him.
Summarize: A most useful exercise is to capture the main point(s) and personal application(s) of a section (whether a paragraph or chapter) in a journal or notebook. This forces you to think through the meaning of a passage and your response, rather than skimming through without much benefit.
Engage with God: Now talk to God in response to what you have read. Ask Him to apply His Word to your heart; to give you understanding, faith, and obedience. If you are new to prayer, you can pray aloud or silently, but don’t worry about fancy words. God is interested in the sincere expression of your devotion to Christ. If you don’t know what to pray, it may help you to focus on the five important elements (or targets) of prayer which Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).
How does Discipleship Help Us Meditate?
While the world may see meditation as a personal thing, we can actually grow in our abilities to meditate on God’s Word by sharing with others.
Life-on-life discipleship that follows the T.E.A.M.S. method will always start with Truth and Equipping—two great ways to read, listen, consider, and apply God’s Word. Sometimes those things can be hard to do on our own, and we need others to encourage us to keep seeking the truth and studying God’s Word.
Discussing God’s Word with others is a great way to “chew the cud.” Do you meditate on the Scripture on your own? Absolutely! But then you get to bring it back up again with others, sharing what you have learned and hearing what others have discovered.
Accountability, another aspect of T.E.A.M.S., is a great way to push each other and remind each other of the work God has already done.
Psalms 119:27 (ESV) says, “Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.” Psalm 145:5 (ESV) says this, “On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.”
It is easy to forget the wonderful things God has done, both in His Word and in our lives. Accountability helps us reject the lies and remember the truth.
Mission gives us a hunger for more of God’s Word—just like a good physical workout makes you hungry for healthy food.
And of course, Supplication is a vital part of meditating on God’s Word. When you read Scripture, it is always important to ask God to illuminate the words for you. Help them come alive and work for you, so that you can be transformed by His Word.
Conclusion
Biblical Meditation is a vital practice for believers today. Unlike forms of meditation where the goal is to “empty your mind,” the Bible calls us to fill our minds with God’s truth. We can do that by studying His Word, remembering what He has done, and encouraging others to do the same.
If you want to grow deeper in your ability to meditate on God’s Word, then try out the P.R.A.I.S.E method—it is a great way to study and think about Scripture. And of course, remember that we are not called to take our faith journey alone—life-on-life relationships can encourage us to meditate on Scripture and help us to do it more effectively.