tagged 
meditation
meditation Entries in meditation (7)
Monday's Meditation Meditation
Monday, November 30, 2009 at 11:01AM Earlier this month I posted a short piece that dealt with meditating on the scriptures. It generated significant response via comments, email, facebook and Twitter primarily because people considered mediation too subjective for followers of Jesus. The word meditation carries with it overtones of Eastern mysticism, religious ritual, or drug-induced fantasies. Fortunately, the God encourages us to meditate on his words. The truth is we all meditate, the real question should be: to what will we give ourselves?
As I launched into meditation years ago, I believe the Lord lead me to Matthew 6: 9 – 13, the Lord’s Prayer. This seemed odd—I had already committed this prayer to memory. I had said this prayer since I was a child. Even “unbelievers” recite this prayer. I felt the Spirit direct me to the very first line. A still small voice in my mind said, “don’t be in a hurry, take just a small piece.” I took the first line: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
The voice of my imagination said, “That’s too big for you.”
“Strange,” I thought. How about, “Our Father in heaven.”
Back came the sound: “Too big.”
“OK, I get it, I’m supposed to meditate on the Father.” So I settled in to consider: “Our Father.”
One more time the voice replied: “Too big. Smaller.”
There was only one word left, “Our.” It didn’t seem like much but I was determined to at least try to follow the Spirit’s leading. I seemed silly at first. How do you meditate on a single word? I quieted myself and gave my thoughts to that single word: Our. I’m a word-guy, so after a moment I considered that fact that it’s the first personal plural. Instead of I alone, it’s Our together.
In the silence of my room, I began to realize the significance of the plural. I was not alone. Whenever I turned in prayer to the Heavenly Father, someone was with me. In my imagination I saw Jesus put his arm around my shoulder, saying, “Com’on, let’s go to the Father together.” This seemed like a big deal to me—if I was ever worried that the Father might turn away from me, I was certain He wouldn’t turn away from Jesus.
Since that time, whenever I turn to God, I imagine Jesus, my older brother going with me. I have gained confidence that even though I am not worthy, Jesus is, and he’s the one who takes me to the Father.
I wonder what your mediations will show you.
Monday's Meditation: Saturation
Monday, November 2, 2009 at 10:08AM Recently I heard Bill Johnson say that he has read Romans 4 every single day for the past four years. A married couple I know used to read Proverbs 3 nearly every night together as they went to sleep. They did it for a year and then decided to stay with the same chapter until they felt God gave them permission to move on. Thirty years ago I was moved by one line from a song, and I still sing that line several times a day.
What do you think of when you hear the word, meditation? Eastern religions? Passing thoughts? A guru sitting upon a mountaintop? I’d like to suggest that the Biblical notion of meditation is closer to saturation.
You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
You drench its furrows
and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers
and bless its crops.
You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the desert overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing. (Psalm 65: 9 - 13)
Richard Foster’s liberating book, Celebration of Discipline, opens with these simple words, “Superficiality is the curse of our age.” True that. It’s no surprise that the first discipline he recommends is meditation. Watchman Nee observed that one sign of the natural man is an unwillingness to hear the same sermon a second time. As if the Holy Spirit wouldn’t use repetition to teach, lead, and guide.
Last week I kvetched about the tendency to value knowledge above relationship, but there is a knowing which leads to relationship. It’s the knowing of meditation: allowing the scripture to saturate our whole being, to overflow our head and seep into our heart. Our culture is word-weary. Too many blogs, too many comments, and the constant need to publish more. Yet it’s still true that God’s words are life giving. What will saturate your heart today? And tomorrow, and tomorrow?