When we think about what we can do as individuals to grow spiritually, a few obvious things come to mind: reading the Bible, studying, prayer, and so on. One practice mentioned throughout the Bible but often ignored today is meditation. Yet if we practice this correctly, it can greatly help us in our service to God.
Notice what the psalmist wrote:
“O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:97-99).
In this article, we are going to discuss meditation – what it is, how to do it, the benefits of it, and why it is a challenge to practice in the modern world.
What Is Meditation?
People from various backgrounds talk about and practice meditation. However, as we approach this from a biblical perspective, our meditation must be focused on spiritual things – that which pertains to God, His word, and our duties before Him. We might sit and think about any number of things, but in this study, we are talking about the Bible’s definition.
Meditation involves deep thought. It is not shallow or distracted. Therefore, we cannot engage in meditation if we allow our minds to wander from one thing to another, or if we are constantly distracted by what is going on around us.
Meditation is also productive, and we will see this when we discuss its benefits. It may appear that we are idle when we are meditating, but we are not. As we will see, the biblical practice of meditation leads to improved character and greater insight.
How to Practice It
We first need to learn God’s word. The psalmist said the law of God was his “meditation” (Psalm 119:97). Earlier in the same psalm, he spoke of God’s word being “treasured in [his] heart” (Psalm 119:11). Prophesying of the new covenant, Jeremiah described it as being written on the heart of God’s people (Jeremiah 31:33).
In order to meditate on God’s word, we need to know it well enough to remember it. The apostle Peter emphasized the importance of this when he wrote his second epistle and expressed his desire for the brethren to be “able to call these things to mind” that he taught to them (2 Peter 1:15). So the first step to meditating as we should is to carefully study the Scriptures (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15).
We also need to make or take time for it. The psalmist “[anticipated] the night watches” so that he could “meditate on [God’s] word” (Psalm 119:148). We do not (necessarily) have to stay up late into the night to meditate on God’s word (cf. Psalm 4:4; 63:6), but we do need a time in which we can be free from distractions. This can be challenging, and we will discuss why that is in a moment.
As we make time for meditation, we also need to recognize its importance as a regular practice. This is implied in the psalmist’s anticipation of the “night watches.” Consistency in a spiritual discipline (whether it is prayer, Bible study, or meditation) enables us to get the most benefit from it. Its impact on our lives will be limited if we only do it sporadically.
Finally, we need to focus on the right things. Biblically speaking, meditation is not just “quiet time” where we allow our minds to wander and think about any number of things. We are to meditate on God and His works: “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands” (Psalm 143:5; cf. 119:27; 145:5). We also meditate on the word of God: “And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love; and I will meditate on Your statutes” (Psalm 119:48; cf. 119:78, 97).
The Benefits of It
When we neglect to meditate, we miss out on the benefits to be gained from the practice. What are these benefits? There are a few described in the Scriptures.
First, meditation enables obedience. When it was time for Joshua to succeed Moses in leading the people, the Lord said to him, “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 success” (Joshua 1:8). Meditating on God’s law would help him to do what was written in it. We are to be “doers of the word” (James 1:22), which requires the ability to recall what it teaches us. This ability is enhanced through meditation.
Second, meditation is a defense against temptation. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He responded with Scripture: “And the tempter came and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”’” (Matthew 4:3-4). Of course, Jesus was “the Word [who] became flesh” (John 1:14), so it is no wonder that He would be able to recall relevant passages when He was tempted. For us to attempt to do the same, we must study God’s word to know it and meditate upon it to embed it into our working memory. God has promised a “way of escape” with every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), but we must remember God’s word to find it.
Third, mediation helps us to give an answer for our faith. This is a responsibility we all have: “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). To be able to “give an answer” (KJV), we need to know God’s word well enough that we can “call these things to mind” (2 Peter 1:15). Not only this, but in defending the truth, we must represent it accurately. This requires us to learn how to “accurately [handle] the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) so we can “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11, KJV). Meditation helps us commit God’s word to memory so we can use it when we are called upon to defend our faith.
Fourth, meditation helps keep our minds pure. Jesus said, “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:43-45). Jesus’ point was that it is not enough just to try to keep evil thoughts out of our minds. We must fill our minds with what is good so that evil thoughts cannot find a place there. As Paul wrote, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell [meditate, NKJV] on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
Fifth, meditation enables spiritual growth. The psalmist wrote, “I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:99). Meditating on God’s law helped him to excel beyond the level of his teachers. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he told the young evangelist that his “progress [was to] be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15). This was possible if he would “pay close attention” to the word he was teaching. This could be done by reading, studying, and meditating on the teachings of Christ.
Modern Challenges
We live in a world of unlimited distractions, from communication (emails, text messages, etc.) to entertainment (movies, sports, etc.) to media (especially social media). Anything that causes distractions like this can choke out the word in our hearts (cf. Luke 8:14). In such an environment, shallow focus is the norm. It becomes difficult to concentrate for very long at all because we are constantly distracted by surrounding noise or seeking external stimuli to provide the dopamine hit we have come to expect.
However, God expects us to deepen our understanding of His word. Notice what the Hebrew writer said about this:
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God” (Hebrews 5:12-6:1).
They were guilty of not progressing beyond the “elementary teaching” they first received and building upon that foundation to a deeper understanding of God’s word. The same thing can happen to us, and it seems much easier for this to occur with the technology designed to distract us from what is good and capture our attention for the benefit of those who profit from digital entertainment and social media platforms.
In order to engage in the biblical practice of meditation, we must be intentional about it. Our time quickly fills up with work, relationships, content consumption, and other activities. We will not meditate by accident. We either need to take time to do it, even using the “night watches… [to] meditate on [God’s] word” (Psalm 119:148), or we need to make time by following the example of Jesus who “sent the crowds away” in order to go “up on the mountain by Himself to pray” (Matthew 14:23). When we have free time, we can use it to meditate rather than immediately reach for our phones. When our days fill up with demands on our time, we need to carve out periods in our schedules for quiet time to meditate on God and His word.
Conclusion
The only way to know God’s will is to read and study His word. The only way we can practice it consistently is to be deeply familiar with it. Meditation helps solidify in our minds what we have learned from God’s word, so we can recall it when we need to and apply it in our daily lives.
Ultimately, our goal is to please the Lord. The biblical practice of meditation helps us do this.
