The Daily Evangelist

A Brief Look at the Spiritual Discipline of Meditation and Why You Should Practice It.

When the word “meditation” comes to mind, you probably don’t think of Christianity. In fact, you probably think of a Buddhist monk in a monastery somewhere saying, “ohmm” repeatedly for hours on end. An unfortunate reality is that if someone asked you how to get closer to God, prayer and reading Scripture are the natural responses. While these responses aren’t wrong at all, in fact they are the correct answers, they leave out a very important spiritual discipline: meditation. Today, my aim is to help illustrate the amazing spiritual discipline of meditation, discussing what it is, why you should do it, and how you can include it in your daily life.

What Is Meditation?

When you think of meditation you probably envision the act of clearing your mind, trying to find some inner peace that’s hidden away somewhere. This idea couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word meditate as “to engage in contemplation or reflection.” In regards to Christianity, meditation would be the deliberate act of contemplating the truths God has revealed within Scripture with the point of allowing it to transform how we think, act, and relate to God.

When a Christian meditates, they are not simply reflecting or contemplating on their own personal lives. Nor are they simply thinking about Bible verses for the sake of thinking about Bible verses. Instead, they are reflecting on Scripture and trying to understand it more deeply and apply it to their life. How this occurs can vary greatly. Sometimes people like to focus and meditate on large biblical concepts and what that means for their life like eternity, heaven, or hell. Another act of meditation is on specific Scriptures, trying to reflect on their daily life and apply biblical teachings to their behaviors. Finally, people often simply meditate on specific scriptures to try to understand and further enjoy God’s Holy Word. 

I’ve personally practiced all three of the examples listed. One favorite way of mine is to memorize a verse, break it down, and meditate on its full meaning and application to my life. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how meditation looks to each person. How it occurs can vary depending on personal preference and what the Lord is trying to teach them. The one common factor in Christian meditation though, is that it is rooted in Scripture. It is not done as a mere act of personal reflection, rather it is a time of further understanding who God is, what His Holy Word says, and how it relates to our lives.

Why Should I Meditate?

To put it simply, Scripture is why you should meditate. Colossians 3:1-2 states, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” The Apostle Paul is writing to the church of Colossae, with a clear command for the church. Since they had been saved by the gospel, they should therefore forsake the things of this world, and fix their sights and thoughts on the things of heaven. 

In the book of Romans Paul also states in chapter 12 verse 2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” The point that the Apostle Paul was trying to make was for them to not get caught up in the things of this world, but to instead fix their sights on the eternity to come. The Apostle Paul communicates this same point in 2 Timothy 2:3-4 where he uses the illustration of a soldier not getting caught up in civilian life. The point being for Christians to not get caught up in the things of this world, and to instead focus on the things of heaven and pleasing the Lord. 

Together, we can see a consistent biblical principle. God’s people are called to deliberately direct their minds to Him, His Word, and the truths He has revealed. Scripture reveals to us that believers who delight in God’s Holy Word through meditation will bear good fruit. One notable example is in Psalms 1:1-3 which says, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” The psalmist is emphasizing that there is a joy and delight to be found in meditating on God’s Holy Word and that those who meditate on Scripture will bear good fruit in their lives.

Elsewhere in Joshua 1:8, the Lord Himself says “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” God is speaking to Joshua prior to leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. In the context of the verse the Lord is saying to Joshua the only way for him to succeed in his entrance into the Promised Land with the Israelites is if he meditates and obeys God’s Holy Word consistently. For a modern believer this does not mean we have a blanket promise of world success. Rather we have a promise of spiritual prosperity and success, the ability to succeed in drawing near to God if we meditate on Scripture consistently. The passage demonstrates the Lord’s desire for His people to know His word, obey His commands, and faithfully pursue Him.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 reinforces this as it states “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” The Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3 illustrates to us that Scripture is inspired directly by God and is used to teach and correct us as we pursue Him daily.

Scripture truly has a lot to say on the subject of meditation. I could spend hours compiling every verse of scripture that encourages meditating on scripture and still have more to say. In order to keep this article brief though, I will end my listing of reasonings there. To put quite simply, the reason you should meditate on Scripture is because Scripture instructs us to. It details to us that there is a joy in meditating on Scripture and that it helps us to understand God, His will for our life, and that it reveals to us what areas of our lives need to be changed.

How Can I Start Meditating?

Trying to start the practice of meditation can seem really strange at first. With the rise of short-form content like TikTok and the increasing use of music, many people aren’t used to being alone with their thoughts. Quieting the noise of life seems almost like a foreign affair to us. One trick that I recommend is to find a verse, or section of Scripture, during your daily quiet time in Scripture and bring it with you the rest of the day. Whenever you find yourself away from your phone and bored, simply start to think about it.

A real help to me has been the act of memorizing verses. Whenever I get bored during car rides or get some very boring free time, I start to recite the verses I have memorized and try to reflect on the nuances of the verse. I aim to remember the context the verse was written in, the intent behind each part of the verse, and I focus on how that applies to my life that day. Doing this has helped me in my pursuit of godliness greatly. 

Another way to practice meditation is to simply blot out some extra time away from the noise of life. Over the last few days as part of an experiment for a future article I have completely cut out music from my life for the time being. One thing I’ve found in doing this is that I have a lot more time to meditate on Scripture during car rides, replacing the time I would have previously mindlessly listened to music. I’m not saying that you should completely cut out music from your life, but rather that you should on occasion begin turning off music when you would normally play it. Spending that time alone with your thoughts, meditating on Scripture and asking the Lord what the passage means and how it applies to your life.

There are plenty of ways you could begin to practice meditation, but there is one key rule for you to remember. Meditation is not limited by time or place. Meditation can occur at work, in bed, or while commuting, it’s very different from other spiritual disciplines like prayer and reading Scripture in that sense. Both of those disciplines are usually reserved for certain times and certain places within our lives. Meditation is a way you can draw near to the Lord throughout your entire day no matter where you may be. I encourage you to begin practicing meditation if you haven’t already, it has had a profound effect on my relationship with the Lord and scripture proclaims that it will have a profound effect on you as well.

My prayer today is that if anyone reading this article does not know the Good Lord then that they may draw near Him and be saved. I pray if anyone who does have faith in the Lord but is struggling in the pursuit of Him that they might draw near to him and be renewed. I pray that we may all pursue the rich joys of the Lord through daily, continuous practice of meditation on His glorious, infallible word. That it might confront us, correct us, and guide us in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. That this spiritual discipline might renew us and deepen our relationship with Him to new levels. I pray all these things in Jesus’s name. Amen!