Lesson 5: Meditation
By now you will have understood that most spiritual disciplines require dedication, consistency, and constant effort to yield the necessary results. Recall the analogy of a seed I used in Lesson 3. If the farmer decides not to nourish the seed long enough, what happens to the seed? It will grow for a while and will then begin to die off. In other words, as long as the farmer wants the seed (now plant/tree) alive, he must continue to cultivate, nourish, weed, and attend to the seed. So, I encourage you to put the work in; soon, the fruit will emerge. Now, let’s look at what meditation is.
I will define meditation in my own terms. Meditation is the art of ruminating on a particular subject. Meditation also means asking questions about the subject matter: questions like, “What does this mean? Why was it said? What is the writer trying to convey? What steps do I need to take as a result of what I just read? Who is the message about? When was it said?”
Let me shed some light on the reason to focus on a particular subject. When your focus is on one subject alone, you will gain a deeper understanding of everything the subject has to offer you. You know how you can sometimes analyze the wrong a person does to you? The more you focus on the wrong, the bigger it seems to appear. Likewise, the more you focus on God’s Word, the deeper your understanding and revelation becomes. Not practicing meditation after reading the Word of God is like eating and not chewing thoroughly enough to get the juices and nutrients out of the food. Imagine eating chicken without chewing it.
The concept of meditation was a hard one for me to grasp as a young believer. It simply appeared laborious, but when I eventually got a handle of it, it became a vital part of my devotion. Humans are bombarded with too much information daily and the information upon which we focus is the information we keep. Knowledge without application is mere information. God’s Word will do you no good if you do not meditate on it.
Joshua 1: 8 says, “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.” When you meditate and act on God’s Word, you experience success and prosperity.
Read someone’s experience on meditation from the Scriptures. In Psalm 119:97-98, David boldly proclaims, “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.” God’s Word, meditation, and acting on it makes you wiser.
Meditation leads to revelation. Meditation gives you an encounter with God. As you meditate on God’s Word, His Spirit illuminates your heart and you become inspired. Stay on a verse that blesses you and ponder on it. Take the Word you read with you throughout the day. If it is a verse, focus on it, think about it, and if you can, read it again. Memorize the Scripture so you can recite it from memory. There will be times you won’t get any inspiration, just learn the verse. The next time you read it, the Holy Spirit expands it. You might get revelation later about what your read at an earlier time.
To zero in on the importance of meditation, I want to share with you my experience. I was concerned about what went on in my mind; they were not things I was proud of. My thoughts were full of negative things. I prayed and trusted God, but nothing happened until the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I had neglected studying and meditating on God’s Word. He explained to me that this neglect had left my mind open for the enemy to work on. The moment I fed and meditated on God’s Word, the negative thoughts disappeared. Know this – if your mind is not filled with godly things, then it is filled with ungodly things. Our minds are never empty. So, the key question here is, with what do feed your mind?
Note: Meditation requires some quietness, but you may be in a noisy environment and maintain quietness within you.
Meditation tips:
– Enter in. Familiarize yourself with what God is saying in the passage. Notice the circumstances, people, and places.
– Second reading: Take note of what word, phrase, sentence, or verse makes an impression on you.
– Third reading: Pray. Thank God for His Word. Prayerfully interact with God about the text.
– Live. Ask God to show you how He wants you to live based on this Scripture. Is there something He would have you start doing, stop, or continue?
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Lesson application:
This week practice meditation each day. Set reminders to do it during break times or any other time you are not busy. Write down any thoughts and the date your journal. Share with a friend what God showed you.
