Our Daily Meditation

When we talk about what we can do as individuals to grow spiritually, a few obvious things come to mind (reading the Bible, studying, prayer, etc.). One practice mentioned throughout the Bible, but often overlooked today, is meditation. Yet if we practice this correctly, it can greatly help us in our service to God. So in this lesson, we are going to talk about meditation – what it is, how to do it, the benefits of it, and why it is challenging to practice it in the modern world.

What Is Meditation?

• Biblically, this is focused on spiritual things – pertains to God, His word, and our duties before Him; we might sit and think about any number of things, but we are focusing on the Bible’s definition
• It involves deep thought – not shallow or distracted
• It is productive – it may appear like we are idle, but we are not; it leads to improved character and greater insight

How We Practice It

• We first need to learn God’s word – the psalmist said the law of God was his meditation (Psalm 119:97); God’s word must be treasured in our heart (Psalm 119:11) or written on our heart (Jeremiah 31:33); in order to meditate on God’s word, we need to know it well enough to remember it (cf. 2 Peter 1:15); so the first step is a careful study of the Scriptures (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15)
• We need to make or take time for it – the psalmist anticipated the night watches for this (Psalm 119:148); we make a time in which we can be free from distractions (cf. Psalm 4:4; 63:6), which can be challenging; we also need to make it a regular practice (implied in Psalm 119:148)
• We need to focus on the right things – meditate on God and His works (Psalm 119:27; 143:5; 145:5); meditate on the word of God (Psalm 119:97, 48, 78, 148)

The Benefits of It

• Meditation enables obedience (Joshua 1:8) – we are to be “doers of the word” (James 1:22); this requires the ability to recall what the word teaches us
• Meditation is a defense against temptation (Matthew 4:4) – there is a way of escape with every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13); we must remember God’s word to find it
• Meditation helps us to give an answer for our faith (1 Peter 3:15) – we must know it well enough to recall it (2 Peter 1:15) and represent it accurately (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 4:11)
• Meditation helps keep our minds pure (Matthew 12:43-45) – it is not enough to try to keep evil thoughts out of our minds; we must fill them with good (Philippians 4:8)
• Meditation enables spiritual growth (Psalm 119:99) – Timothy was to make visible progress (1 Timothy 4:15); he could do this if he paid attention to God’s word (1 Timothy 4:16)

Modern Challenges

• We live in a world of unlimited distractions – these can choke out the word (Luke 8:14); in this environment, shallow focus becomes the norm; God expects us to deepen our understanding of His word (Hebrews 5:12-6:1)
• This requires us to be intentional – our time quickly fills up with work, relationships, content consumption, and other activities; we will not meditate by accident; we must take time (Psalm 119:148) or make time (cf. Matthew 14:23)

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 is what 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