Meditation ABC's
WHY meditate on Scripture?
We can read the Bible but still forget it. We can study it but misunderstand the meaning. We can even memorize Scripture but make incorrect applications. However, meditation enables us to accurately move God's Word from our heads to our hearts.
WHAT characterizes biblical medication?
Chewing: Meditation is like a cow chewing her cud. She brings up previously digested food for renewed grinding. Similarly, meditation is "chewing" on biblical thoughts deliberately and thoroughly, mulling them over in our minds and hearts.
Analyzing: Meditation is the art of taking a good, long look at a portion of Scripture the way a craftsman gazes at a dazzling jewel. He turns the stone from angle to angle, polishing the diamond to reflect all its light and beauty.
Action: Meditation moves words into thoughts and then thoughts into action. It involves planning ahead with definite actions in mind regarding a decision, responsibility, or relationship in our lives.
HOW should I meditate?
Take a verse or short Scripture passage and meditate on it by using the following steps. Use each vowel of the English alphabet as a reminder for each step.
A Ask questions about the passage
E Emphasize various words
I In your own words (paraphrase)
O Other passages (cross-references)
U Use the passage (application)
ASK: You can sort through the information in a passage by asking who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about it. For example, Isaiah 26:3 reads, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." You could ask, "To whom does God give perfect peace?" "What attitude toward God do I need to have in my mind?" and, "Why does God provide this perfect peace?"
EMPHASIZE: To emphasize different words or phrases, fix your focus on small parts of the verse and how they relate to the verse as a whole.
For Isaiah 26:3 you could emphasize these words and think of their implications: "You will keep in perfect peace," "You will keep in perfect peace," and so on.
IN your own words: Exciting insights come from rewriting a verse or passage in your own words. You could paraphrase Isaiah 26:3 this way: "You promise freedom from worry to the person who trusts you completely without any doubts in her mind."
OTHER passages: Try to think of other passages that relate directly to the meaning of the verse you are meditating on. For Isaiah 26:3, you might think of 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
USE the passage: Relate the verse to your own circumstances. Again considering Isaiah 26:3, ask, "What does it mean to have perfect peace? Am I experiencing perfect peace today?"
Read Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1 for additional insights on the benefits of meditation.
For more on the topic, check out the book titled Meditation by seasoned Navigator Jim Downing, available from Dawson Media.
Adapted from "A Primer on Meditation" (NavPress) and Discipleship Journal, Issue 6, 1981, p. 40.
We can read the Bible but still forget it. We can study it but misunderstand the meaning. We can even memorize Scripture but make incorrect applications. However, meditation enables us to accurately move God's Word from our heads to our hearts.
WHAT characterizes biblical medication?
Chewing: Meditation is like a cow chewing her cud. She brings up previously digested food for renewed grinding. Similarly, meditation is "chewing" on biblical thoughts deliberately and thoroughly, mulling them over in our minds and hearts.
Analyzing: Meditation is the art of taking a good, long look at a portion of Scripture the way a craftsman gazes at a dazzling jewel. He turns the stone from angle to angle, polishing the diamond to reflect all its light and beauty.
Action: Meditation moves words into thoughts and then thoughts into action. It involves planning ahead with definite actions in mind regarding a decision, responsibility, or relationship in our lives.
HOW should I meditate?
Take a verse or short Scripture passage and meditate on it by using the following steps. Use each vowel of the English alphabet as a reminder for each step.
A Ask questions about the passage
E Emphasize various words
I In your own words (paraphrase)
O Other passages (cross-references)
U Use the passage (application)
ASK: You can sort through the information in a passage by asking who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about it. For example, Isaiah 26:3 reads, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." You could ask, "To whom does God give perfect peace?" "What attitude toward God do I need to have in my mind?" and, "Why does God provide this perfect peace?"
EMPHASIZE: To emphasize different words or phrases, fix your focus on small parts of the verse and how they relate to the verse as a whole.
For Isaiah 26:3 you could emphasize these words and think of their implications: "You will keep in perfect peace," "You will keep in perfect peace," and so on.
IN your own words: Exciting insights come from rewriting a verse or passage in your own words. You could paraphrase Isaiah 26:3 this way: "You promise freedom from worry to the person who trusts you completely without any doubts in her mind."
OTHER passages: Try to think of other passages that relate directly to the meaning of the verse you are meditating on. For Isaiah 26:3, you might think of 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
USE the passage: Relate the verse to your own circumstances. Again considering Isaiah 26:3, ask, "What does it mean to have perfect peace? Am I experiencing perfect peace today?"
Read Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1 for additional insights on the benefits of meditation.
For more on the topic, check out the book titled Meditation by seasoned Navigator Jim Downing, available from Dawson Media.
Adapted from "A Primer on Meditation" (NavPress) and Discipleship Journal, Issue 6, 1981, p. 40.
