THINK, WAIT & MEDITATE
TAKING TIME TO THINK
You have a few spare minutes alone. How long does it take you before you reach for your phone? 30 seconds? 60 seconds? If you are the average American, it doesn’t take you long. A 2019 study done by a global tech company, Asurion, says most Americans pick up their phone 96 times daily, and the number is doubled for 18-24 year olds!
Quiet, think time makes us nervous, myself included. Even as I write this, I am resisting the urge to check my phone. We feel pressure to fill the space by checking messages from others, social media, sports, news, or emails. While there is definitely a time and a place for each of those things mentioned above, God could use those little moments, that unhurried think time to draw our hearts closer to Him.
WHAT IS MEDITATION & WHY DO IT?
Outside of yoga class and modern workout plans, meditation is not something you hear of a lot. Some other words for the word “meditate” are to ponder, muse, imagine, and study.
Psalm 1:1-3 says:
“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.”
In this passage, the “law” is referring to God’s Word, specifically his directions and instructions. I love that this word “blessed” can be translated to “truly happy!” “Truly happy is the one who delights in God’s Word and who meditates on God’s law day and night.” Dwelling on God’s Word throughout the day feeds and sustains us like water does a tree, giving us life and guidance.
When time with God feels dryer, meditation can help our heart’s perspective to change. Psalm 119:15 says, “I meditate on your precepts [principles] and consider your ways.” The person who wrote this Psalm continues on to share how meditating on God’s Word and ways brought greater joy and deeper love for God.
It also doesn’t require closing our eyes or sitting some special way. We can meditate on God’s Word and what he has done during our devotional time with Him, as we go about our day, and as we fall asleep at night. God tells us meditating on Him and His Word will bring blessing, joy and a deeper love for Him.
HOW DO I DO IT?
Meditation will help us to not just have a verse in our head but to hide it in our heart! Here are a couple tools you might try during your time with God. Do them all at once or just pick one!
TO START: Pick a key verse or passage from your Bible reading or scripture memory. What are some observations you can make about that verse?
PERIMETER: Look at the verses around the passage. What are they saying? How do they relate with your key verses? Any common themes?
PERSONALIZE: Put your name in the passage anytime you see the word “I” or a pronoun. How is God speaking to you by seeing your name in the passage?
PULVERIZE: Pick a key verse to focus on. Go through that verse slowly, word by word, each time emphasizing the next word. If you are alone, try saying it out loud! After you have gone through the whole verse, think about which words stood out to you? Why? How do they help you to understand the passage?
PUT IN YOUR OWN WORDS: Make a summary of the verse or passage in your own words. What is the verse saying? What are the main things you want to take a way?
PRAY: Pray over the verse and about the verse! Journal or pray out loud! Ask God to help you apply it, believe it and be changed by it.
BONUS “P”— PROCLAIM: Tell someone else about it! Often, as we verbalize a lesson, we understand it even better and learn more.
Keep your key thought with you as you go throughout the day. Come back to that thought when you are driving, walking to class, working out or falling asleep at night. Imagine what all God could do if we paused and took time to think, deeply and intentionally. Seek to fill some more of your day with intentional meditation!
*The “P”s are not original to me. Many friends and I have tried to find the original source to give proper thanks and credit. So, for now, credit to “those who have gone before”!
Discuss with someone or reflect on your own:
Anything stand out to you? What makes you excited or nervous about trying to focus on meditation?
What are some planned and unplanned moments in a normal day that you could use to meditate on God and His Word?
Pick one of these passages: Psalm 139, Matthew 9:35-37, Psalm 1. Give one or all of the “P’s” a try!
