Henry Blackaby has introduced me to the Holman translation, and I really like how it treats one of my favorite scriptures, Psalm 1:2 – “Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction and he meditates on it day and night.”
I actually memorized the whole of Psalm 1:1-3 (but in NIV translation) because it struck me as very important, plus I liked that it contained a promise of blessing. “Blessed is the one….whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night….whatever they do prospers.”
Then Blackaby took me deeper as he defined “meditation” as meaning “to think deeply and continuously about something”. Of course, for a Christian, he pointed out that it means remaining in the presence of God and pondering each truth He reveals about Himself until it becomes real and personal in your life. Well, don’t know about you, but for me, that is going to take real time and effort and “stick to it” focus. Ooops, I hear it slipping out of my reactionary mind – “I’m too busy, who has that kind of time, I have to do X, and then Y, and of course Z must be accomplished also!”
Yes, Blackaby took me to task in reminding me of Jesus accusing certain would-be followers of calling Him “Lord” and yet never doing what He told them (Luke 6:46)
Then he went to the core, the one I need to hear over and over again (maybe meditate on it?) because it boils down to my major struggle. Blackaby says the people Jesus was referencing had the correct truth in their heads, could even quote scriptures, but it had never translated into obedience. There’s that word I struggle with constantly.
And he then hit the core truth I needed to hear. When you meditate on Scriptures, the truth moves from your head to your heart and results in obedience.
So I need to learn “how” to meditate in that productive way. Darin Smith’s blog caught my attention with it’s headline “How to Meditate on Scripture (Without Getting Lost In Your Own Head)”. He nailed it in his description that we live in an age where the mind is overstimulated and the soul is undernourished. Even for many believers, he said the word meditate evokes confusion over whether it is some mystical exercise or maybe a mental maze, even perhaps a monastic ritual. Or worse—something dangerously close to Eastern spirituality.
Time to unpack this a bit more. He is right that worldly meditation is about emptying the mind but Biblical meditation is about filling our mind with the truth of God. It is engagement, not escape. He goes so far as to say it is “not optional for the Christian – it is essential.”
I liked his definition of “biblical meditation” – sustained, prayerful pondering of Scripture with the aim of transformation. That addresses what Blackaby was pointing out. But I need more specifics in the “how to” category. He helps by saying to meditate biblically is to turn your attention deliberately toward God’s truth – and stay there until it reshapes your thinking and reforms your heart.
That is where a statement by Blackaby really helped me –“you can reject a doctrine, or ignore a concept, or challenge a principle, but it is much more difficult to ignore a Person”. So true. If I picture sitting with Jesus as I read a scripture, ponder it, ask Him for insight and treat it as a dialogue just between Him and me – and think in terms of what He wants me to glean from that scripture – why He is pointing me to it at this time—it becomes very personal. I can even dialogue with Him about it.
He may send me digging in other resources or doing a search in Scripture for other “law” or verses that shed more light on the one in question. Yes, “time” passes and I find myself engaged and working through it without even considering the time. I like what Smith says about why we desperately need to meditate on the Scripture – we forget easily (no surprise there) but we also are constantly being formed. Yes, through media, ads and entertainment, but Biblical meditation is how we renew our minds in truth (Romans 12:2). But his main point is that “transformation is slow” – growth in Christlikeness doesn’t come through “drive-thru” devotions, it comes as we steep in God’s Word like a teabag in hot water – until every part of us is flavored by it.
Like-minded Blackaby gives me the goal I seek. “When God’s truth is allowed to touch the deepest corner of your soul, the Holy Spirit will transform you into the image of Jesus Christ.” And he delivers the “how” which is going to mean I need a deliberate, regular attention to this action – “Don’t just read your Bible; meditate on God’s Word and ask Him to change your heart.”
Are you ready to accept Blackaby’s challenge with me?
