What is Biblical meditation?

At various times, Martin Luther reportedly spent hours meditating on one verse. Although we have many more distractions than he did, we must still take the time to focus on things of God, for many reasons. The Bible tells us to “meditate on these things” in First Timothy. Joshua, and we, are told to meditate on God’s Word in Joshua 1:8. The Psalms speak of meditating on the Lord, or His Word, works, law, etc., numerous times.

The King James Version contains fourteen uses of “meditate”; enough that we can get a good understanding of what it means. A short study shows that it is very different from the Eastern meditation which has crept into our society. Eastern meditation is very different, emphasizing the emptying of the mind, rather than the focus on God which the Bible emphasizes. We must, therefore, flee the false doctrine preached by those who would confuse Biblical meditation with Eastern meditation.

The meditation in each of these fourteen verses is clearly linked to an object or concept. The Bible never commands us to clear our minds in the manner of Eastern thinking. Indeed, the word translated “meditate” in 2 Timothy 4:15 is the same one used to describe the Greek practice of thinking and planning before oratory. Of course, we as Christians must never rely on our own fluency or brilliance; we must allow Christ to work through us, and that means getting our own selves out of the way. However, the rest of that verse demonstrates this, when Paul tells young Timothy to give himself wholly over to it. The “it” here refers to the previous verse; it is the gift he has been given. Whatever our gift, we must utilize it for the glory of God. To do that, we must meditate on it; we must plan to use it for His glory.

When the term is used in Genesis 24, concerning Isaac’s meditation, it is universally held that this was a quiet communing with God, away from the bustle of the household. It was a place for reflection, not for emptiness. Meditation can only give us peace, if is is the right kind of peace, the kind only God can deliver. If it isn’t, we open ourselves up to all kinds of evil. The peace we seek must be the “peace that passeth understand” from Philippians 4:7. If it passes understanding, then surely it is greater than that which mere relaxation gives. Anyone can understand that relaxing reduces stress, but it can’t give a peace that passes understanding.

Likewise, in each of the Psalms, there is something on which we may clearly meditate. We are to fill our minds with it. Whether it is God, His ways, or something else, this is a deep pondering that should cause us to have special fellowship with Him, as we draw close to Him and consider all He has done, all he will do, and so on. Psalm 139 doesn’t contain the word “meditate,” but it provides a tremendous example of what Biblical meditation is all about. One can almost hear the awe in David’s voice as he considers God’s awesomeness; it is, indeed, “too wonderful” for us to fathom.

This type of meditation is as far removed from Eastern meditation as the East itself is from the West. When we pray, like Isaac, David, and many others through history, we converse with the living God. He is not a God of the dead, but of the living. Eastern meditation, on the other hand, is about emptying one’s mind. That is a notion which is fraught with peril.

There is intense spiritual warfare all around us. We constantly wrestle against powers, principalities, and the rulers of the darkness of this world. It is spiritual wickedness in high places, and the forces of this wickedness would like nothing better than to occupy our thoughts and drive us away from God’s perfect love. While we can’t be possessed if we are born again, we can certainly be oppressed by the devils wiles. Indeed, he walks about “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) We are supposed to resist him, so he will flee from us. Eastern meditation does not resist the devil. Instead, it invites more antagonistic thoughts, more worry, more fleshly behavior, because that is what the enemy wants us to do.

We should instead be focusing on God Himself. He is the God of all comfort, Who has promised to give us “peace that passeth understanding.” It makes no sense to empty one’s mind, when the very key to relaxing is found in Jesus Christ Himself, on whom we can – and should – cast all our cares, because He cares for us. We have a promise that emptiness can never give us. We have the promise that He will be an ever present help in time of need. The Bible is filled with so many great promises from God, who cannot lie. We simply need to put our trust in God. He won’t always give us wealth or health, but He will supply all our needs according to His riches.

Since this is the case, we must guard our thoughts and minds against anyone who tells us to focus on “nothing.” We are powerless against the spiritual wickedness in high places, but thankfully, those who are born again have the only weapon that can defeat the enemy. We have the Lord Himself, and His Word, which is the sword of the Spirit. His Holy Spirit dwells inside each and every believer. A believer can quench Him if not careful, but the Spirit will never leave a true believer.

At the start of his book, Joshua was told to meditate on the Lord’s word day and night. Near the end, he offers a challenge to the people; who will they serve? It is a challenge which is offered to each of us today. Will we serve one who wants to do us harm in the long run? Or, will we serve the One who has given us so many good things, and who helps us through the bad? Who is on the Lord’s side? It is a question that must be answered in this day of increased secularism, when the world wants to tell us anything goes. It is a question that we must answer “I will be on God’s side. I will be on the side which will win in the end.”

We must meditate on God, His ways, His mighty works, and His precepts. It opens up a treasure trove of great things for us. Focusing our minds on Him draws us closer to the One whose throne of grace we can go boldly to, the one who calls us friends. It lets us be made whole when we confess our sins, because He will move our hearts to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. It lets us be content which such things as we have, for He has promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) It lets us be involved in His service through the great power of prayer, which we can utilize in any quiet moment.

With those, and so many more great things with which our minds can be filled, there is no reason ever to empty our minds, when we have a connection to the Creator of the Universe.