Bible based Meditation: AWOL BLessing?
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Christan Meditation may seem like a forgotten, backwoods stepchild - rich fare for plain vanilla, born again focused believers. Yet Psalm 1.1-2 reminds us that: “Blessed is the man that walks not … . but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night.” Are we missing out on some rich blessings from God?
Would it be helpful for us to pool our insights? Questions? We do not want unbiblical meditation to get all the play. We have something better than eastern meditation, New Age views, channeling, yoga, chants, emptying the mind. Praise God! We can FILL the mind with Jesus - have a renewed mind (Rom 12.1-2)
I have been pursuing meditation for 2-3 years now - off and on. I am still very much a learner. Meditation sounds so esoteric, mystical. I still have a secret concern - am I doing it right? This is what I think I have learned to date: (1) Christian meditation (CM) is dwelling on Jesus, a Bible truth, or more often with me at least, thinking about my ministry projects, often what I am currently writing. I prefer to call meditating “thinking,” though it flows in and out of prayer; (2) I have found scare little on CM except for books of the Christian mystics which I struggle with. The best books I know of are: A.W. TOZER, A TWENTIETH CENTURY PROPHET(!!), by David J. Fant, Jr; CHRISTIAN PERFECTION by Fenelon. (3) I like Fenelon’s advice to go easy on yourself. Don’t be harsh with your mind. Despite our efforts thots come and go. (4) I like to select one single item to dwell on for today or this AM. When it no longer feeds, seems fruitful, move on. (5) I can dwell longer on an item than 2-3 years ago. (6) The Holy Spirit gives me some good ideas while thinking this way. Enough from me: you guys ante up, as the Spirit leads.
Would it be helpful for us to pool our insights? Questions? We do not want unbiblical meditation to get all the play. We have something better than eastern meditation, New Age views, channeling, yoga, chants, emptying the mind. Praise God! We can FILL the mind with Jesus - have a renewed mind (Rom 12.1-2)
I have been pursuing meditation for 2-3 years now - off and on. I am still very much a learner. Meditation sounds so esoteric, mystical. I still have a secret concern - am I doing it right? This is what I think I have learned to date: (1) Christian meditation (CM) is dwelling on Jesus, a Bible truth, or more often with me at least, thinking about my ministry projects, often what I am currently writing. I prefer to call meditating “thinking,” though it flows in and out of prayer; (2) I have found scare little on CM except for books of the Christian mystics which I struggle with. The best books I know of are: A.W. TOZER, A TWENTIETH CENTURY PROPHET(!!), by David J. Fant, Jr; CHRISTIAN PERFECTION by Fenelon. (3) I like Fenelon’s advice to go easy on yourself. Don’t be harsh with your mind. Despite our efforts thots come and go. (4) I like to select one single item to dwell on for today or this AM. When it no longer feeds, seems fruitful, move on. (5) I can dwell longer on an item than 2-3 years ago. (6) The Holy Spirit gives me some good ideas while thinking this way. Enough from me: you guys ante up, as the Spirit leads.
- 1 view
Fred, your point is well taken. We have not developed this subject much. Perhaps folks will chime in.
Here are a few verses that might add to the discussion:
Psalm 48:9 discusses meditating upon God’s attributes:
To meditate usually means to “talk to yourself” about, and the idea is to engage the mind, not make the mind blank.
Here are a few verses that might add to the discussion:
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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.Joshua 1:8 is about meditating on the Word, as we see in Psalm 1 and Psalm 119.
Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. He went out to the field one evening to meditate,and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.Genesis 24:62-63; so what exactly was Isaac doing?
Psalm 48:9 discusses meditating upon God’s attributes:
Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.The idea is used a lot in the Psalms, but, outside of the Psalms, the pickings are very, very slim. I think that Meditating in the Word and studying and memorizing it are some MAIN WAYS we worship God.
To meditate usually means to “talk to yourself” about, and the idea is to engage the mind, not make the mind blank.
"The Midrash Detective"
CM has become a major thing with me now day after day. I choose usually one item I am already interested in thinking about and “try” to stay locked in on that. Satan opposes it. I know that. And when I am onot walking close with Jesus at times, this meditation can easily shift to worrying. So it is a continual game of tennis - back and forth.
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