An Introduction to Christian Meditation and Memorization

In my last post, we explored what Christian Meditation is and began to look at how we can actually start meditating on God’s Word. In this post, I want to finish looking at some practical tips for how to get started meditating on God’s Word.

More Thoughts on How I Get Started Meditating of God’s Word

In my last post, I stated that my favorite passage to begin to meditate on is:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” ~ Philippians 4:8 (ESV ~ emphasis added.)

I tend to concentrate more on the positive passages to meditate on rather than passages that can be negative. However, recently I was re-reading through the book of Job and caught myself spending some time pondering a few verses of Job 28.

“There are mines for silver and places where gold is refined; iron is extracted from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Miners conquer the darkness and dig as far in as they can, to the ore in gloom and deep darkness. There where no one lives, they break open a shaft; the feet passing over are oblivious to them; far from people, suspended in space, they swing to and fro.” ~ Job 28:1-4

Now, it’s my understanding that Job was a contemporary of Avraham. So this account is some 4,000 years old. According to Wikipedia, black gun powder was invented in the 9^th Century in China and dynamite was invented by Albert Nobel who obtained a patent for his invention in England on May 7, 1867. Assuming this information is even half-way accurate, how did these miners dig out these precious metals without being able to blast it out? How did they even know where to dig?

So what conclusions did I draw from this ruminating? How can I apply this knowledge to advance the Kingdom or make my walk with the Lord any more interesting than it already is? What is the practical application for me?

My only conclusion is the mining had to be done by hand with a pick and shovel and God must have left some telltale signs where they might be found when He created those precious metals. I have no idea on how this knowledge will someday be used by me to fulfill God’s will or what practical application it will have. But, the time was well spent in that I went from admiring His creation to have an even greater awe and reference for the Creator Himself.

In short, I start ruminating over God’s Word when I read it and a word, verse, passage or chapter grabs my attention. I will especially stop wherever I see that I have previously underlined a verse or maybe even made a marginal note (in the days before I started to journal) and would swear that I never read that verse before. I’m sure that has happened to many of you. The Lord always seems to provide some new meaning to what I have already read.

So, How Should You Get Started Meditating of God’s Word

You might want to just open your Bible and reflect on something that jumps out and speaks to your heart or a certain scripture might come to mind. I’m sure your pastor would love to hear that you are meditating on the key scripture that was used in his/her last sermon. Choosing a verse or passage that you want to commit to memory is also a powerful way to start.

Filling your mind with God’s Word first thing in the morning is a great way to start the day. That way you can be thinking about what you read for the rest of the day. Others find that meditating on God’s Word right before bedtime works for them. Your mind can replay it over and over during the night while you sleep.

Regardless of where, how, what or when you meditate; our relationship with God should be a priority. Daily time in His Word will allow Him to speak to you throughout the day.

In my next post, we will explore how meditating on God’s Word will benefit your life.

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