Simple yet powerful keys and principles to effectively engage with the Scriptures
KEY No. 11 – Chew the Cud The Power of Biblical Meditation
Unlike some Eastern religions that encourage emptying the mind, Biblical meditation is all about filling the mind and imagination – with the living Word of God! It includes the idea not just of thinking about the word, but speaking it out as well.
The Scriptures encourage us to fill our minds with (meditate on) the Word of God! As we do so, the Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God in our minds and we are changed. The Word become a vital part of our lives
The Hebrew word for meditate means “to turn-over in the mind, to mutter, to imagine, pondering the meaning of.” It includes the following ideas: “to ponder, i.e. (by implication) converse (with oneself, and hence, aloud) or (transitively) utter:—commune, complain, meditate, muse, pray, speak, talk (with).” [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance]
One way that I have made meditation in scripture a part of my daily life is to stick a short scripture to my computer monitor at work. I then read it quietly over and again throughout the day, attempting to memorise it and draw from it it’s fullest meaning. This practice allows God to ‘paint’ a picture of the truth you are pondering on the canvas of your imagination. You see yourself living it! Look through the gospels and see how many times Jesus begins His teaching with the word, “Behold”. What does “behold” mean? It means “Look at this!”, “See this with the eye of faith!”, “Use your imagination and picture what I am saying!”
Someone once wrote, “Meditation chews our spiritual food and gets the sweetness and nutritive virtue of the Word into our hearts and lives. Meditation has a digestive power, and turns truth into spiritual nourishment.”
It’s like a cow bringing the same food back up and chewing it again and again until all the juice is squeezed out of it. Yum Yum.
