7/25/2019 Gathering Meditation Final

1/1

Meditation is one of the most important ways to seek God and go deeper in your walk with him. When we meditate weare training our minds to focus on God and listen carefully to his voice in Scripture. God wants us to draw near to him so he

can work in our lives (John 15.4; Hebrews 10.22).

Meditation is both commanded by God and modeled by the Godly in Scripture (Donald Whitney,Spiritual Disciplines forthe Christian Life, p. 47).

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to doeverything written in it. Joshua 1.8David and the psalmists celebrated the benefits of meditation, and Paul taught the early Christians to meditate (Psalm1.1-3; 39.3; 77.12; 119.97; Philippians 4.8).

Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear Gods voice and obey his word. It is that simple (Richard Foster,Celebration of Discipline, p. 17). Heres how to get started:

1. Prepare. Find a place without distractions. Remember that when your body is tense your mind/heart/spirit will bedistracted. Take a few deep cleansing breaths. Still your soul. Then, select a passage of scripture. Psalm 131 is a greatpassage. It expresses humility, a desire to be with God, and a childlike dependence on him.

2. Rewrite. Write the verse in your own words. This will help you focus your attention on what the author is saying andwhat it means. You may find the resource Journaling for Spiritual Transformation helpful (available at adabible.org >Ministries > Spiritual Formation).

3. Pray the passage. Prayer is a way of submitting your mind and heart to what God is saying to you and responding toit honestly. Tell God what you think he is saying to you, how you feel, and what you think you should do. Some have foundwriting a prayer journal to be very helpful.

4.Look for applications all day.Your meditation doesnt stop when you get on with your day. Memorize the passage orjust remember the key thoughts and think about them often. Ask God to show you ways to apply it. This helps you bringGods Word into your daily life whether you are at work, in the car, or at home with noisy children.

5.Be patient.Like any new discipline, allow yourself to be clumsy at first. If you are a bookish person, you mayimmediately love meditating. Resist the temptation to study (meditation is devotional, not analytical). If not, meditationmay need to grow on you. Resist the temptation to give up. Nothing is more practical than learning to listen to Gods voice.

Meditation

Biblical Meditation is NOT Biblical Meditation IS

4Passive 4Active

4Emptying your mind of all thoughts 4Filling your mind with Gods Word and his works4Entering a trance 4Enjoying Gods presence

4Focused on me and my needs 4Focused on God and listening to his voice

4Mechanical or automatic 4Relational and dependent on God

4Complicated or difficult 4A discipline anyone can practice and develop

4A way to change how I feel 4A way to change me

Meditation brings Gods Word into our lives in a way thattransforms us into the image of Jesus Christ. (Romans 12.1-2)