TRUE MEDITATION

"Blessed is the man... (whose) delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Psalm 1:1,2).

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord" (Psalm 19:14).

The true aim of education, study, and reading is not what is brought into us, but what is brought out of ourselves when we actually put into practice what we have learned. This is as true of the study of the Bible as of any other study. God's Word only works when the truth it brings to us has stirred the inner life and reproduced itself in trust, love, or adoration. When the heart has received the Word through the mind and has had its spiritual powers exercised, the Word is no longer void but has done what God intended it to do. It has become part of our life and strengthened us for a new purpose and effort.

The Art Of Meditation

It is in meditation that the heart holds and appropriates the Word. Just as in reflection of understanding grasps all meaning of a truth, so in meditation the heart assimilates it and makes truth a part of its own life. We must remember that the heart is the will and the affection. The meditation of the heart implies desire, acceptance, surrender, and love. Out of the heart are the issues of life.

Whatever the heart truly believes, it receives and allows to master and rule the life. The intellect gathers and prepares the food on which we are to feed. In meditation, the heart takes it in and feeds on it.

The art of meditation needs to be cultivated. Just as we need to be trained to concentrate our mental powers to think clearly, a Christian needs to meditate until he has formed the habit of yielding his whole heart to every word of God.

How can this power of meditation be cultivated?

Another element of true meditation is quiet pondering. When we endeavor to master a teaching in Scripture, our intellect often needs to put forth great effort. With meditation, we must take a different approach. Instead of striving, we must hide the word we are studying in the depths of the heart and believe that by the Holy Spirit, its meaning and power will be revealed in our inner life. ayer addressed to God: "I will meditate in Thy precepts" (verse 15); "Thy servant did meditate in Thy statutes" (verse 23). "O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day." (verse 97). Meditation is turning our hearts toward God and seeking to make His Word a part of our lives.

Pondering In The Heart

Another element of true meditation is quiet pondering. When we endeavor to master a teaching in Scripture, our intellect often needs to put forth great effort. With meditation, we must take a different approach. Instead of striving, we must hide the word we are studying in the depths of our heart and believe that by the Holy Spirit, its meaning and power will be revealed in our inner life.

Another element of true meditation is quiet pondering. When we endeavor to master a teaching in Scripture, our intellect often needs to put forth great effort. With meditation, we must take a different approach. Instead of striving, we must hide the word we are studying in the depth of our heart and believe that by the Holy Spirit, its meaning and power will be revealed in our inner life.

In meditation, personal application takes a prominent place. This is not the case with our intellectual study of the Bible: its object is to know and understand. In meditation, the chief purpose is to appropriate and experience. The true spirit of Bible study is a readiness to believe every promise implicitly and to obey every command unhesitatingly. It is in quiet meditation that faith is exercised, that full surrender to all God's will is made, and the assurance of grace is received to perform our vows.

Meditation And Prayer

Meditation must lead to prayer. It provides matter for prayer. It must lead on to prayer, to ask and receive definitely what it has seen in the Word or accepted in the Word. The value of meditation is that it prepares our hearts to pray about the needs the Word has revealed to us. The Word will open up and prove its power in the soul of the one who meekly and patiently waits for it.

There is reward in resting for a time from intellectual effort and cultivating the habit of holy meditation. In time, the two will be brought into harmony, and our study will be enlightened by quiet waiting on God and a yielding of the heart and life to the Word

We should have fellowship with God throughout the day. The habit of true meditation in the morning will bring us nearer the blessedness of the man of the first Psalm: "Blessed is the man. whose delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night" (Psalm 1:1,2).

All Christian workers and leaders of God's people must remember that they need this time of meditation more than others. It will keep their own communication unbroken with their only source of strength and blessing. God says,

"I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee...Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law. that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night. Then thou shalt have good success. Be strong and of a good courage" (Joshua 1:5-9).

Let this be your aim that your meditation may be acceptable in His sight-part of the spiritual sacrifice you offer:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."

Let this be your prayer and expectation, that your meditation may be true worship-- the living surrender of the heart to God's Word in His presence.