~By: Jonie Buckley~
Meditating on God’s Word is practicing the awareness of God’s presence in your life and filling your heart and mind with His living and active Word. Meditation brings recognition of our Heavenly Father’s voice and revelation of God’s word, opening deeper truths. Meditation enriches your understanding of God’s Word so you can apply it to your life. Joshua 1:8 instructs us to “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Additionally, Philippians 4:8 describes what we are to meditate on: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.” Along with ongoing meditation throughout the day, meditating on His Word should include a time intentionally carved out daily. Journaling is an effective way to do this. Journaling keeps us reflective, slows our pace, and brings release as we commune with God. I prefer the Day One Journal app so that I can access it anywhere, add any photos/videos, and easily recall previous entries to relish answered prayers.
This practice of meditation initially seemed very difficult and intimidating to me. I questioned how I could possibly train my brain to meditate on God and His Word for even a short amount of time each day, much less consistently throughout the day. Well, the truth is, you and I are already meditating…every minute…of every day. You see, we are always thinking about something throughout the day. We dwell on things such as the world, ourselves, our work, our relationships, our rights, etc. Proverbs 23:7 reads, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” When we intentionally bring our focus to Jesus and His Word, resulting in the habit of meditation, we are sown into the likeness of Jesus and the truth of His living Word. A quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson reads, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
Brother Lawrence did just that. He served as a lay brother in a monastery in Paris. Now, you might be thinking the practice of meditation was easier for him because he was at a monastery. However, his daily life experiences were filled with much the same as ours: fast-paced, conflict, decisions, difficult relationships, tasks and to-do’s, etc. Yet he experienced such deep intimacy in his relationship with God as he learned to cultivate the deep presence of God through consistent communion with the Lord throughout his daily life. How did he do this? He started with the first minute of his day. And when his mind wandered, he asked forgiveness, and returned to meditating on God and His Word. It took much failure, time, patience, and intention, but eventually it yielded the thread of his life, having been already pre-woven with his intimate relationship with the Father through consistent meditation, being woven into the fabric of each person he encountered in his daily life. Could you imagine what your life and interactions with others would look like if you just changed the “what” that you consistently meditated on to God and His Word? What a powerful tapestry! Don’t give up on this practice. Keep on this journey with me, friends. Meditating on God and His Word will prove its worth every step of the way.
“May these words of my mouth and this mediation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
