Holy Habit #3: Meditation
My initial reaction to the word meditation is to think of a Buddhist monk sitting quietly in the peaks of the Himalayas, legs folded, arms out, while he empties himself of his personality. The word meditation carries with it a connotation that just doesn't seem very Christian. By definition, meditation is neither Christian nor secular. Meditation is just extended thought, reflection, and contemplation. It is the focused act of internalizing something so that it shapes you.
So why am I talking about meditation as a holy habit and not calling it "bible reading" or "quiet times? The main reason we need to consider our time in Scripture as time of meditation is because its not enough to only read the Bible, or even to just talk about it. We need to internalize Scripture so that it becomes a part of us. We must not only read it and talk about it, but think deeply upon it, reflect on how it changes the way we live our lives and interact with others.
The reality of our lives is that we are busy. Regardless of where we are at in life, we are constantly bombarded by meetings, schedules, activities. Busyness is almost an addiction in our culture and if we are not intentional about taking time out of our busyness to reflect deeply on Scriptures, to apply the truth of the word of God to our every day lives, then it just won't happen. The holy habit of meditation gives us a consistent outlet to make God's truth real in our lives.
It always baffled me what Jesus did after feeding the five thousand. This was one of the biggest miracles he performed in his ministry. If I were his publicist, I would've told him to start booking more mass feedings, to talk to the press, set up meetings with key town people to get the word out. This was Jesus' big chance to take his ministry to the next level. But what does he do? He gets on a boat, and escapes to a quiet retreat in the mountains to spend time with is Father. Jesus understood the importance of meditation. He understood that life required breaks in order to internalize what was happening.This week, take time to meditate on God's word and how it influences your life. Here are a few tips on how you can make meditation a holy habit:
Ask the right questions. When reading the Bible, constantly ask What? So what? and What now?
Set a consistent time. If you're a morning person, pick a time for biblical meditation in the morning. If you're an evening person, pick a time in the morning. It doesn't really matter what time it happens, just make sure it happens consistently.
See the Bible in the real world. At some time during the week, talk about what's going in your life and see how Scripture applies to it. If you have kids, help them see how the Bible is relevant to their lives.
What are some other ways you meditate on the Bible? What helps you make it consistent?