Making Time To RestSample

Meditate on God’s Word.

The more you read the Bible; and the more you meditate on it, the more you will be astonished with it. — Charles Spurgeon

Many Christ followers don’t understand what meditation actually means. When we meditate on something we are simply focusing our thoughts. To understand what it means to meditate on God’s Word, let’s read Pastor Rick Warren’s description. He says, “Surprisingly, if you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate on the Word of God. Worry is when you take a negative thought and think on it over and over and over. When you take a passage of Scripture and think on it over and over and over, that’s called meditation.” 

The Bible mentions meditation over twenty times and calls us to meditate on God’s Word. This is a beneficial practice to incorporate into our daily time with God as it provides a mental and emotional rest for us as well as spiritual growth.

As we spend time reading the Bible each day, we can look deeply into the passages and begin a conversation with God. In order to grasp how to meditate on a verse or two, let’s dissect Ephesians 4:31-32 which says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” 

Let's read it again and ask God:

Do I have bitterness? 
Am I an angry person? 
Are my words harsh? 
Is my heart tender? 
Do I forgive others freely? 

Then we listen and wait for the powerful, yet gentle voice of God. It will rarely be audible but we will know what He is saying to us. We can allow these scriptural meditations to go with us throughout our day making us aware of any bitterness, anger, harshness, hard-heartedness, or unforgiveness that is attempting to hijack our thoughts. 

This is meditating on God’s Word. 

The truths from Scripture sink deep into our souls when we meditate on God’s Word. Meditation provides us a new level of rest for us because we are spending our mental energy thinking about God’s Word and not drowning our minds with the worries of the world. Not only that, but we have the power to apply these life-changing words from God to our lives. We can’t help but become all that God wants us to be when we put this kind of effort in. 

Reflect

• Choose a scripture from today’s reading, or another of your choice, and meditate on it. As you read through it, ask God to show you where you are obeying Him and where you need to make changes for spiritual growth. Allow this new discovery to permeate your thoughts throughout your day.
• Write down any revelation that God speaks to you through today’s Bible reading or devotional.