Spiritual Disciplines 2: Meditation

This series began with an introduction and study of why it's important to study the spiritual disciplines, which I recommend reading before you continue this post. It is crucial that you understand why you should even desire to learn about these before you commit to life changing patterns. If your heart is simply to read a blog post about God and not truly get to know Him better, this series is not for you. If you would like, you can read my introductory post by clicking HERE. Let's start with the Discipline of Meditation.

In his book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald Whitney recognizes meditation as a sub-category of "Bible Intake." He lists it among Bible Reading, Hearing God's Word, Studying the Bible, Memorizing Scripture, and Application. Think of meditation in this context.

What is Meditation?

What is the difference between Christian meditation and other religions' meditation? I discussed this in the context of Psalm 1 about a year ago (read HERE). In the Bible, meditation means focusing your mind on God, His Word, and things true and pure as commanded in Philippians 4:8. New Spirituality (aka New Age) has stolen the word out of the Biblical context, thus giving it a bad reputation among modern Christians. However, in a Biblical sense, "meditation" is very different from the meditation promoted by New Spiritualists. Whereas New Spiritualists encourage emptying the mind, Christians are aiming to fill it with God's truths. When New Spiritualists try to achieve mental passivity, Christians are using constructive mental activity (Whitney). Also, New Spiritualists attempt to visualize their own reality, but Christians focus on things that are real and true. In Foster's Celebration of Discipline, he says the clearest difference between Eastern forms of meditation and Christian meditation is the focus on obedience and faithfulness present in Biblical meditation. From here on, meditation will mean Biblically-based meditation.

Whitney defines meditation as "deep thinking on the truths and spiritual realities revealed in Scripture for the purposes of understanding, application, and prayer." Foster says it is "the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word." Though at first glance these seem different, they're really saying the same thing. Hearing God's word is thinking on it, and obeying is the same as applying it. Together, these definitions give a good picture of meditation. It could be rephrased: "Meditation is hearing God's voice through thinking on the truths in Scripture and understanding them, obeying their implications, and praying about them."

A wonderful analogy my small group leader shared is also found in Whitney's book. Think of a cup of hot water. When you drop in a tea bag and immediately remove it, the water will have some flavor, but not much. This is like simply reading the Bible. However, if you leave the tea bag in the water, the flavor grows stronger—like meditation. Meditation is not the same as reading or studying the Bible. Meditation is concentrating on a specific portion of Scripture, listening for what the Holy Spirit reveals, void of outside sources. The longer you focus on a certain part of God's Word, the better your understanding will be, and the more it will affect your life.

Note: There are different forms of Christian meditation, such as examining nature, but this post concentrates on meditating on God's Word.

Why Meditate?

For starters, meditation is a command. In the NIV, Joshua 1:8 reads: "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." This verse shows us that not only is meditation commanded, but there is a purpose and a promise connected with it. The purpose of meditation is to obey God's statutes, and the promise is for success. Please note, this "success" is success in God's eyes, not necessarily our own. Another promise related to when we meditate is found in Psalm 1. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." The Psalm goes on to compare this man who loves God's word to a healthy, fruitful tree that prospers. Isaiah 26:3 promises: "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." Do you want your soul to be prosperous, successful, blessed, and peaceful? Meditate.

However, the true heart that meditates should be focused solely on knowing God better and seeking to honor Him. Foster says that when we make a practice of meditating on God, we enter into a very intimate place with Him, where anything that is not of Him becomes distasteful to us.

Everything that is foreign to [H]is way we will have to let go. No, not "have to" but "want to," for our desires and aspirations will be more and more conformed to [H]is way. Increasingly, everything within us will swing like a needle to the polestar of the Spirit.

We cannot help but change when experiencing the presence of God. The "Divine Fire will consume everything that is impure." The more we meditate, the closer we become to God. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you . . . " (James 4:8). This should be the desire of the heart that makes meditation a habit.

Therefore, why meditate? To grow into a deep closeness with God, change our lives to be more in line with His heart, spiritually prosper, and be blessed.

Examples

• Genesis 24:63 "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening."
• Likely either David or Ezra wrote Psalm 119:15-16, 97-99, 148. "I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word . . . . Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation . . . . My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise."
• David in Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."
• While the Bible doesn't specifically say, "Then Jesus went and meditated," we know that He did, because He frequently left the crowds to go pray. We know that He knew the Scriptures well, because he quoted them often. Luke 2:52 says that Jesus grew in wisdom and favor with God. As we've seen this is the result of meditation.

How Do I Meditate?

As Foster says, "We learn to meditate by meditating." However, here are a few basic steps to get started.

1. Find a location. This should be a fairly quiet place, and there should be minimal distractions. (no phones!) Also, it's good to use the same place each time so you don't waste time looking for a place.
2. Devote a sizeable amount of time. Don't rush your meditation—it takes time to calm your mind from all the stresses of everyday life and reach the place where you can truly concentrate on Scripture. The longer the better.
3. Find a passage to meditate on. This can be done in any number of ways. You could look up verses that apply to a certain situation you are going through, or you could choose a word, phrase, verse, or chapter that stands out to you during your Bible reading. Another option is to read a passage, discern its main point, and meditate on the meaning and application.
4. Read your passage. Often, it is beneficial to do more than a cursory "reading" of your section of choice. You might read it over multiple times, rewrite it in your own words, repeat aloud a verse or phrase, emphasizing a different word each time, or pray through the passage and ask the Holy Spirit to grant you understanding. You could do all of these or just choose one or two.
5. Find a way to apply what you've learned. Application is a discipline in itself, but since meditation is for the purpose of change, as you meditate, look for a way to apply it to your life—then do it.

In Conclusion . . .

Meditation is a key discipline. Every discipline is important, but meditation is one of the biggest for bringing you closer to the heart of God. As I quoted earlier, "We learn to meditate by meditating." Don't put this off. Start meditating today, and make it a habit. Don't give up when it gets hard. The fruit of your relationship with God and actions of your heart will be well worth it.

Spiritual Disciplines 1B: Introduction

Back in 2016, I posted a basic introduction to the spiritual disciplines with the intention of going into greater detail and turning it into a series. To date, I haven't been able to do this. However, the subject never truly left my heart or mind and, in recent weeks, God has brought it back to my attention through one of my small groups. I've decided to go deeper by reading one of the classic books on spiritual disciplines, Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster, and share what I feel God leading me to with you. This post will be a more detailed introduction than the one linked to above, and I'd highly encourage you to read this one as background for the posts that follow, and to see if you wish to devote time to this subject.

First and foremost, it is critical that you understand why you should practice the spiritual disciplines. Their purpose is to bring you to a place where you enter into intimacy with God. Romans 12:1-2 is one of the best passages that explains this:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

When we dedicate ourselves to God, give up our own desires in exchange for His, we are living for Him. The disciplines are part of what help us get to this place of closeness with Him. The more we practice them, the more our mind will be renewed and transformed to God's heart.

Before I can dive into discussing any one specific discipline, you have to understand why the disciplines in general are so important. I am not elevating them to a status higher than Biblical commands, because they all are Biblical commandments. Giving them the title of "spiritual disciplines" merely breaks them down into more manageable pieces and makes it easier to focus on each one individually. Below is a list I have compiled of the disciplines, though I am unsure how many I will cover in my series. It is not necessarily a complete list and, depending on who you talk to, you will find different names for some of them or perhaps two combined into one, but this is my own break-down combining ones I've come across through camp, small group, Celebration of Discipline, and various websites. As I post on a discipline listed here, I will link its title to that post. (I know there is a tendency to skim lengthy lists, but I suggest you slow down and truly read each.)

• Accountability
• Application
• Bible Reading
• Celebration
• Chastity
• Confession
• Consistency
• Contemplation
• Contentment
• Dedication
• Encouragement
• Evangelism
• Fasting
• Fellowship
• Generosity
• Gratitude/Thankfulness
• Guidance
• Hearing God's Word
• Humility
• Journaling
• Learning
• Love
• Meditation
• Memorizing Scripture
• Obedience
• Personal Reflection/Self-Examination
• Prayer
• Preaching
• Resisting Temptation
• Rest
• Sabbath
• Sacrifice
• Secrecy
• Service
• Silence
• Simplicity/Frugality
• Solitude
• Speaking
• Stewardship of Money
• Stewardship of Time
• Study
• Submission
• Testimony
• Waiting
• Worship

That's a pretty daunting list, isn't it? Even if you just skimmed it, the sheer length is formidable. For me, merely listing all these overwhelmed me with a sense of failing before starting. Knowing that all these are Biblical requirements risks slipping into feeling inadequate and asking "Why try?" In truth, this is precisely where the journey must begin.

The goal of studying and practicing the disciplines is to experience a deep closeness with God, and the first step is realizing our own inability to achieve this. In his short book, Freedom from Sinful Thoughts, Heini Arnold writes, "As long as we think we can save ourselves by our own will power, we will only make the evil in us stronger than ever." When we try to accomplish the disciplines without relying on God, we may produce outward signs of success for a time, but will soon grow weary and our inner condition will ultimately be revealed. Before stepping into God's court, it is critical that we understand that without His help, we cannot make any progress toward intimacy with Him. In Celebration of Discipline, Foster explains:

When we despair of gaining inner transformation through human powers of will and determination, we are open to a wonderful new realization: inner righteousness is a gift from God to be graciously received. The needed change within us is God's work, not ours.

He goes on to cite Paul in the book of Romans, where Paul refers to the "free gift of righteousness." However, Foster also warns against then assuming that there is nothing we can do. There is a middle ground between doing our part in practicing the disciplines and relying on God's grace to work within us. The disciplines are a means of receiving God's grace. We cannot expect to do nothing and receive the results of the disciplines, Fruits of the Spirit, or intimacy with God.

Foster describes the journey of "disciplined grace" as a path between two cliffs. One cliff is human strivings for righteousness, and the other side is no human effort. The path is the disciplines. It leads to inner transformation, but it's a long and difficult path, and you must try not to slip to either side. "We must always remember that the path does not produce the change; it only places us where the change can occur." You need to make the decision to pursue this road with your eyes open to how much persistence and time it will take.

Knowing that it takes effort to achieve all this, consider why you, personally, would learn the disciplines. You must have a strong drive to continue practicing them, or you will soon give up. In order to succeed, the desire has to be stronger than the frustration of not seeing immediate results. As for me, I tend to start strong but my efforts quickly taper off when I don't make visible progress. Before long, I have stopped entirely. Foster sums up the issue simply:

Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.

Today's culture is busy and often results in shallow relationships. "How are you?" is a question asked without expecting more than a vague "good" in response, if that. It's even asked to a stranger we pass on the sidewalk. We don't expect deep answers from others, and this has seeped into our relationships' with God. The best way I see to avoid this is knowing how important a deep, close relationship with God is. The disciplines are designed to bring us closer to God, and yes, it takes time and persistence, but it will pay off. When it does, you will be tremendously blessed. Even before you realize you are reaping the benefits, you are. Little by little, you will see that instead of always struggling to be kind, forgiving, loving, etc. this becomes your natural state. In fact, it would be difficult to not be kind, forgiving, loving, etc. This change takes a long time of total commitment, but the reward will be great.

However, a word of caution should be given. Keep in mind that the disciplines are between you and God only. Be sure not to become like the Pharisees and boast of your works. The point of the disciplines is not to become a "better Christian," but more like Jesus—humble, loving, faithful. It's all about the heart behind it. It might be easy to fool others, but God cannot be tricked. He sees the heart, and He knows the reasons behind your efforts. Also remember that the disciplines should be regularly practiced not as another religious "duty" we must perform, but with a heart that desires only to grow closer to God. Don't allow the disciplines to become a set of laws that makes you proud when you follow and fearful when you don't. Keep your heart in the right place—purely longing for a deep closeness with God.

Now, perhaps this is what I should say at the end of every post in this series. Do not get caught up in the mechanics of the disciplines, and forget that it's all about the heart. God doesn't care if you don't do them "perfectly," and there is not necessarily any one "right" way to practice them. Your heart is the key. If you have a heart truly determined to do whatever it takes to grow nearer to God, He will honor that dedication and desire. Don't become concerned with exactly "how to" and never actually do it. Don't worry about if you're doing it "right," just start right away and practice it.