Greetings in Jesus’ Name!
CHANGED MY LIFE… There is one soul exercise that has changed my life more than any other. As some of you are aware, I grew up with a speech disorder (I stuttered) and, with it, a deep-seated fear of talking in public. It’s safe to say that fear took up residence in my soul. And not unlike a physical virus, fear and anxiety can be debilitating. So, when I gave my life to Jesus and began to understand that our God is greater than all my fears, I was confronted with a choice between fear or faith. No one wants to live and be directed by fear, but I lacked a practical means of fighting my fear and feeding my faith. That’s when I was introduced to this thing called “biblical meditation.”
I WAS SKEPTICAL… I was skeptical at first, for my mind went immediately to a person sitting on the floor with their legs crossed, emptying their mind to become one with nature. This may not be an accurate description of Eastern meditation, but this is what I thought. As I learned, Christian meditation is very different.
So, if you’re like me, get rid of those associations that think it’s about lighting candles, humming, and emptying your mind. Biblical meditation is actually about filling your mind with the Word of God and the thoughts of God. Through meditation, we internalize so that we may personalize. Here are six different but practical ways to meditate on Scripture:
1. REFLECT ON IT. If you’ve ever just stopped on a verse or passage in Scripture and reflected on it, you’ve begun the process of meditating. The Hebrew word for “meditate” carries with it the word picture of a cow ruminating. The picture is one of “chewing” upon a thought, deliberately and thoroughly, providing a vital link between theory and action.
Biblical meditation is essentially thought digestion. In its basic form, it is reading a passage over and over again, then thinking about it and concentrating on it in different ways until you have digested its meaning. The below-mentioned methods expand on this first one.
2. PRONOUNCE IT. Read it over and over again out loud. Each time emphasis a different word. By doing this, you will gain a different perspective. Let’s take Colossians 3:16 for example: Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.
LET the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Let the WORD of Christ dwell in you richly.
Let the word of CHRIST dwell in you richly.
Let the word of Christ DWELL in you richly.
Let the word of Christ dwell IN you richly.
Let the word of Christ dwell in YOU richly.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY.
Keep in mind that God’s Word is living and active, so as you honor His Word and contemplate each word, you are inviting the Holy Spirit to broaden your understanding.
3. PICTURE IT. This works best when you are reading a narrative or story in Scripture. Imagine the biblical scene in your mind. See yourself as one of the people in the story. Ask yourself, “How would I feel if I were involved in this situation?” “What would I say?” “What would I do?” Then see yourself as a different character in the story and ask yourself the same questions again.
And just when you think you’re done, chew some more by asking yourself, “Who in the story do I identify most clearly, and how does their situation resonate with my life right now?” “What is God trying to say to me?” “What does He want me to do?” I recommend that you be prepared to write down any observations, applications, or questions that come from picturing yourself in Scripture.
4. PROBE IT. The ultimate goal in reading Scripture is not interpretation but application. We don’t need more information but transformation. We are called not to be mere hearers but doers. Jesus said that if we hear but don’t do, we’re like the guy who built his house on the sand. We have to apply it to our life. With that in mind, probing Scripture is all about asking good questions about the text. Here are three basic questions that can help you probe a passage in Scripture:
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- What did it MEAN THEN?
- What is the TIMELESS TRUTH?
- How does it APPLY NOW?
5. PERSONALIZE IT. This is probably my favorite form of meditating on Scripture. Put your name in the place of pronouns or nouns in Scripture. Let’s take Philippians 1:6 for example:
“He who began a good work in (YOUR NAME) will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” Read the Scripture as though God was speaking to you.
Next, personalize it by speaking it out loud as though God were addressing you. Rather than God being “He,” replace it with “I.” Let’s go back to our example:
I began a good work in you, (YOUR NAME), and I will carry it on to completion.”
Try this with Psalms 23:1-3. It’s powerful.
6. PRAY IT. This works with any of the methods mentioned above but is especially helpful to include while personalizing Scripture. In other words, say it back to God while making it personal! Here’s an example of me praying back a personalized version of Psalms 23:1-3:
Thank You for making me lie down in green pastures and for leading me beside the quiet waters. Thank You for restoring my soul. Thank You for guiding me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.
I recommend you take one of these methods of biblical meditation and try it for several days, and then replace it with one of the others. As your memory muscle becomes comfortable and familiar with these methods, it will become more natural to insert meditating on Scripture into your daily reading routine. For more on these methods, check out our series of 40 Days in the Word weekend messages HERE and the small group lessons HERE.
Know this, training for godliness is much like any other training exercise. It can be difficult, uncomfortable, and take a greater commitment on the front end, but the results are very gratifying. And I can attest to Paul’s words, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8 NLT)
As for my fear of speaking in public, I’m a living testimony of the power of God’s Word. I love how the Psalmist articulated this, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 NLT) By the way, here’s one of the first scriptures that I learned to meditate on that helped me confront my fear and feed my faith:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
Praying for you. You are not alone!
Rick Lorimer
Lead Pastor
Christ Place Church
“Pour over it. Memorize it. Chew it. Put it like a lozenge under the tongue of your soul and let it flavor your affections day and night.” – John Piper
“We are usually in too much of a hurry: a little more holy meditation would make our words more suitable and our emotions more fervent” – Charles Spurgeon
