The Importance of Biblical Meditation
exchanging our thoughts for God’s thoughts, part 1 of 3
The most important activity God gives us is not soul winning, church work, or missions—it is seeking His face through meditation on Scripture. God wants our thoughts to be His thoughts so that our actions will be in line with His actions, and meditation on Scripture is simply exchanging our faulty beliefs for the truths of God’s Word. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 55:7–8).
Most of the mental problems, failure, and conflicts in our lives are simply results of faulty beliefs. Meditation on Scripture exchanges these lies and their resulting actions for God’s truth and His resulting actions. Romans 12:2 challenges us: “Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”
The Power of Meditation
Many of us attempt to live the Christian life by our own efforts of doing “good” or resisting sin. While we should do good and not sin, we cannot do these things by our own efforts. God has provided a way in which He accomplishes these things in us with His strength and for His glory, rather than through our own strength.
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:7–8, ESV). Nowhere in these verses—or in the rest of Scripture—is there even the intimation of resisting sin in day-to-day life by our own strength! There is no suggestion that we produce fruit for God because of church programs or the latest “feel good fad” to sweep Christendom. There is no command to love, serve, evangelize, or disciple apart from Christ and His words being alive in us.
To truly give glory to God in our lives and to have others see our good works and glorify our Father, we must forsake the struggle to act like a Christian and instead take up the discipline of engrafting God’s Word as a living power into our lives. As our minds and hearts begin to line up with God’s mind and heart, He will produce the Christian life within us naturally and without struggle. The engrafting of His Word into one’s life is accomplished through the discipline of memorizing His Word and meditating on it.
Dr. Mike Davis
Dr. Mike Davis is an experienced teacher and counselor. As the director of the International Ministerial Institute in Burnet, Texas, he disciples young men who are preparing for involvement in full-time Christian ministry.
Thank you Sir. The information is very helpful, now i know.
Hi Dr. Davis I had a encounter of meditation in a church that I attended just to clarify God only wants for us to mediate in his word The bible ? and not closing of eyes and calling Jesus?
God’s Word is quick and powerful.(Heb 4:12) When we meditate on God’s Word His Word changes us! It is not uncommon in services or meetings especially during worship times for the person leading the time to say something like “just focus on Jesus, lift your eyes off your self and look to Jesus” But the question burning on our hearts is how do we just “focus on Jesus”? I believe one of the main ways is through meditation on the Word.
When you meditate on the written Word you are communing and fellowshipping with the Living Word Jesus Christ! If we were to be really honest I think we would all have to say that we often focus on ourselves. Our meditations are often full of self and not the Word of God. We think about our desires, our goals, and our passions. With the preoccupation we all often have with self how do we ever get our eyes off of self? We need to have our mind transformed. In Romans 12 we read that we are not to be conformed to this world but rather we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.(see Romans 12:2) When we meditate on the Word our mind is renewed and washed through the water of the Word.
Jesus said in John 15:7: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (Joh 15:7) Prayer flows out of meditating on God’s Word. When we really get into the Word and meditate on it God begins to share His heart with us. When we begin to hear the Lord’s heart through His Word our response should be prayer. Calling unto Jesus should be the natural outflow of meditating on the Word.
What an inspiration you have been to me by this powerful information you’ve sheared, you have been a blessing, thanks a lot and may God richly bless you sir.
i thank God for your inspiration. i need more of this.
Thanks.. Very very helpful.