Today we consider one of the most central teachings for us as a church, that is the importance of meditation in the believer’s life. Often times, meditation is considered to be a western voodoo tradition and many believers have shied away from it, but we know it is scriptural and essential for our progression. Understand this, every second of every day, you are meditating on something, most times, unconsciously. The Lord spoke to Joshua, who was set to take over from Moses as a leader over the Israelites, this was a mammoth task – millions of followers, who were stubborn and rebellious. The Lord told Him, ‘Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success’ (Joshua 1:6-8). One of the first things we see in this passage is that there is a level of consistency that is required when handling the Word of God, it is not an overnight exercise, it is a lifestyle. The Bible is not for mere reading, it is not a story book, the intent is to read for meditation, that you may unearth the loaded treasures in the Word. Many believers have become so familiar with the scriptures, they gloss through at a surface level and completely miss the wealth and depth that has been buried therein. We at Glorious, have to different!
The second thing to take away from this passage is the implied relationship between meditating on the Word and speaking it. Once you have permeated your thoughts with the Word of God, you speak them out! Speaking the Word crystalizes your thoughts, bringing physical shape to your thoughts and ponderings, making them come alive in your realm. We know that the world was formed at God’s word (Hebrew 11:3), and we too can shape our environments through speech that is informed and loaded with the Word of God. Your meditations reflect your ponderings; you ought to take a scripture and turn it upside down, word for word. When you look deeper, the scripture will begin to open itself up, sharing with you its most hidden truths, and you become one with that Word that has revealed itself to you. Let us consider how cows chew the cud. They first swallow and store it in their first stomach, then later on, they bring the cud back up and chew it – creating further capacity for them to take in more. Similarly, children of God ought to chew the Word slowly and with intention, and this is where the mysteries of God will be revealed to you. You will notice your capacity growing for more revelation, and that is where you will start seeing results in your life. Surface level intake of the Word will not breed results, the Word has no root in you, and at the first sight of tribulation, it will be uprooted and will reap you no benefit. Remember, God works according to the power that works in us, according to our level of understanding and conviction.
Additionally, when cows chew on the cud, they extract nutrients from the food that they need. This is also true for believers who chew on the Word. The psalmist wrote, ‘My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh’ (Psalms 4:20-23). Here we see the Word of God also brings nutrients for our flesh, providing us with the health we need to keep our bodies. The psalmist continues to say, ‘Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life’ (v. 24) – and we see that it is by keeping the Word of God in the midst of your heart, that you truly guard your heart. The Word of God is a weapon, it will stand guard over your heart, ready to neutralize anything that comes in and is contrary to the truth that you have taken in.
The biggest challenge that we have now in the church, is that we want new ‘revelation’. We trivialise the basics of the Word of God, failing to truly grasp the fundamentals as we run after intellectually stimulating messages. We need to sit still with the basics, there is no dilution to any portion of scripture, all of it carries the loaded power of God and if we allow ourselves to be filled with this Word, we will begin to see it building us up and giving us our inheritance. God’s idea of meditation is shown in Isaiah 26:3, ‘You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You’. This is the idea, that we keep our minds fixed on God’s Word, not wondering temporarily, but to train ourselves daily to think on Him continually. When meditating, you begin to imagine the Word of God and what He has said about you, you start seeing the picture and attain spiritual perception, opening you up to understanding you did not have before. Everything is born from the realm of imagination (Genesis 11:1-9), so when you have the right images playing in your mind, you begin to respond accordingly to align yourself with that mental image. Meditation will bring you to a place of full persuasion, not partial, and you will know the truth of God’s word beyond any doubt – and that image becomes the foundation of your faith, the evidence of the unseen! Child of God, there is no shortcut, let us labour to enter God’s rest today.
Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your word, that has revealed to us the importance of meditation as the key to attaining all You have in store for us. We commit to doing our part, labouring to enter Your rest, and fully persuading ourselves of Your love and all that has been accomplished on our behalf. You are a good God! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
