Meditation is a much neglected discipline in the Church today. When the topic of meditation comes up in conversation, you’re likely to receive odd looks, as though a third eye had sprouted on your forehead. Maybe one has. Better check.
What is it?
Meditation in the truest sense of the word has nothing to do with eastern religion, emptying yourself, the New Age movement or any other such nonsense. The word Meditation literally means, “chewing the cud.” Meditation is feeding on the Word of God. The Psalmist says,
“Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.”
Most of our Bible reading is done too fast, too thoughtlessly, and too infrequently. I include myself in this. Meditation is the antithesis. It is the cure. Meditation like that mentioned here in Psalm 1 is slow, deep, and thoughtful. Meditation requires the mind to focus, to concentrate, to wrestle with the text, to apply, to discern, to be vigilant and to turn to prayer. It required everything we are naturally terrible at. It requires everything our twitter culture fights against.
Why meditate?
We ought to meditate first and foremost because it is commanded by God. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and ifthere is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Not only are we commanded to meditate, we are given the example of the most holy saints – Isaac, Moses, Joshua, David, Mary, Paul and Timothy to name a few, who practiced the art of meditation. If meditation was important to them, shouldn’t it be important to us?
Other godly men throughout the ages have pointed out the benefits of meditation as well. Thomas Manton said, “Faith is lean and ready to starve unless it be fed with continual meditation on the promises; as David saith, Psalm 119:92, ‘Unless thy law had been my delight, I should have then perished in my affliction.” Thomas Watson wrote, “A Christ without meditation is like a solder without arms, or a work man without tools. Without meditation the truths of God will not stay with us; the heart is hard, and the memory slippery, and without meditation all is lost.”
What are the benefits?
We should not merely meditate because it is commanded and because others practiced it. The benefits of meditation are numerous. As can be seen by the aforementioned quotes, the Puritans held meditation in high esteem and counted it among the most important disciplines. Below are just a few of the benefits they saw come from its practice:
- It helps increase knowledge of truth
- It promotes the fear of God
- It glorifies God
- It builds up our faith
- It gives us strength against temptation
- It produces stronger, better affections
- It tends to promote repentance and reformation
- It helps the memory
- It causes Scripture to intertwine the whole being of a person
- It is a great help to prayer
- It prevents sinful thoughts and brings forth the sinfulness of sin
- It preserves our faith
How do we meditate?
The Puritans made various recommendations with regard to how a person ought to meditate. Daily was absolutely necessary. Some recommended twice daily, morning and evening. Some said 10-15 minutes a day was good while others thought at least an hour was necessary. Most Puritans, however, did not recommend a specific length of time. That is best left up to an individuals best judgment.
Whatever length of time spent was not as important as how frequent meditation was. Long intervals between meditations are likely to hinder the benefits. Like a growing a garden, the plants need to be watered and taken care of daily, otherwise they will fail to produce fruit.
Have a set time for meditation. Don’t allow your day to dictate when you meditate. If you do, you won’t meditate. A time that is free from stress and distraction is best. Morning will be good for some because they have not become wrapped up in the things of the day. For others, evening will be best because the day is over and they can free their mine most easily. The Lord’s Day should especially be used for meditation – and lots of it.
Guidelines for Meditation
These are only guidelines. They’re not rules. Some of this will work for you, some of it may not. In this, it may be best to find your own way.
Begin with prayer. Meditation is the antithesis of our nature.We desperately need the Holy Spirit to help us when we meditate. Edmund Calamy said, “I would have you pray unto God to enlighten your understanding, to quicken your devotion, to warm your affections, and so to bless that hour unto you, that by meditation of holy things you may be made more holy, you may have your lusts more mortified, and your graces more increased, you may be the more mortified to the world, and the vanity of it, and lifted up to Heaven, and the things of Heaven.”
Next, pick a Scripture or doctrine to meditate on. Pick something easy and clear. Something that has immediate application to your life. Memorize the passage or some aspect of the doctrine you’ve chosen. Once it is memorized, recall what else Scripture has to say. Recall what you’ve heard in sermons or read elsewhere. Consider the subjects names, qualities, causes, fruits, and effects. Consider the opposite. Consider what is commanded or forbidden. Do not be so concerned with your method or whether your thoughts are in a logical order. It is not academic excellence you are after, it’s sanctification.
Next, stir up the affections such as love, desire, hope, joy, etc., all with the purpose of glorifying God. Apply the text or subject to yourself. Ask how you must change. Ask what you need to do or how you are growing in grace. Do not be vague in your application; make it specific. Now, be resolved to carry through with the application. Write it down so you can look back on it. End with prayer and thanksgiving.
The Subjects of Meditation
There are numerous subjects for meditation. The whole Bible is proper for meditation, but some subjects are especially important. The person, work, love, death and resurrection of Christ. The Trinity. The nature of God and the works of providence. There really is no end to what we can meditate on, so long as our Bible are open before us.
Conclusion
The Puritan practice of meditation needs to be recovered by the Church. As someone once said, our theology is a mile wide and an inch deep. Anyone who has explored the literature of the Puritans knows that their theology was also a mile wide but just as deep. Meditation played a large part of that.
Musings of an Elder 