Editorial
March/April, 1997
Volume 32, Number 2
There is a yearning in human hearts nearly everywhere for the sacred dimension of life. Many people are on a quest for spiritual meaning. For some, the quest is motivated by dissatisfaction with the material world; for others, there is worry about the coming new millennium. For whatever reason, many in our society are seeking to put spirituality back into their lives.
Many are seeking inner peace by turning to the wrong places. Some seek inner peace by getting close to nature–climbing rocks and hiking in the desert. Others have dabbled with Native American spirituality, Buddhism, and New Age chanting. For the Christian, the search for the sacred begins and ends in Jesus Christ. He is the Redeemer, the one who satisfies the longing soul. He is the One who gives meaning to life.
Meditation on who Jesus is and what He has accomplished for the eternal salvation of human beings, is a remarkable way to discover the answer to life’s deepest questions, such as “Who am I? Why am I here? Where do we go when we die?” But Christian meditation is not the same as the “contemplation” practiced by followers of the Eastern religions. Eastern meditation attempts to empty the mind of everything. Christian meditation attempts to fill the mind with God’s truth. Eastern meditation seeks to become totally detached from the world about. Christian meditation seeks to become more fully attached to Jehovah God. Christian meditation is not a long ritual to drive all thoughts from the mind, nor is it the repeated chanting of some phrase, mouthing the same words over and over again. Christian meditation is rooted in God’s truth. The psalmist expressed love for the law of God and attempted to make it his “meditation all day long” (Psalm 119:97).
The word “meditation” has a Latin root which means “to ponder” and “to weigh.” Meditation requires reflection and contemplation and study. To “meditate” means to give careful thought to” a particular issue. Meditation has always been considered a central part of Christian devotion. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, thinking things over, and dwelling on wholesome concepts.
To meditate effectively, there needs to be silence, and that is increasingly difficult to experience in our noisy world. The machines of industry, the wheels of business, and the vehicles of transportation are all producers of noise. Many folks today seem to prefer some kind of noise. They can’t seem to get along without it. They simply must have a radio, a TV, a hi-fi. a jukebox, or a video blaring just about all the time.
Meditation is continuous reflection on the goodness of God, and on how His love for us should produce obedience in daily life. Meditation, in a sense, is like a hen sitting on eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. Meditation is thinking long and soberly about God’s love and redemption and guidance and healing and sovereignty. It is easy to hear preaching, and participate in Bible study groups, and attend seminars, and fill out notebooks, and file away cassette tapes–and then forget most everything we have learned. We participate in a variety of lectures and presentations and study groups–and then rush off to something else. We often fail to meditate–to ponder, to question, to reflect, and to apply.
Whether we like it or not, it takes time to be holy. It takes time to digest the Word of God. Meditation is one of the keys which enables us to take what we learn and apply it in daily living. As Darren Gabbert says on the pages that follow, “Practicing the spiritual disciplines can allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us.” All of us must guard against complacency. We are to grow spiritually, and meditation is one of the avenues for growth. Brother David Wine, our 1997 Annual Conference moderator, has issued a call for Brethren “to become more deeply grounded in faith by renewing our investment in prayer and the things of the Spirit.” He says, “Let us count well (and first) the cost of spiritual discipline” (Agenda, January/February, 1997). Brother Wine is setting an example by taking solitary strolls and praying an hour a day and a day a month, and spending a week during the year in a personal prayer retreat. Read the article on pages 4-8 and determine to profit from the challenge.
The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation
By Darren Gabbert
Practicing spiritual disciplines can allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us into new creations. The spiritual disciplines are intended to place us in good soil so that spiritual growth in our lives is possible. Spiritual disciplines include such practices as meditation, prayer, fasting, and careful study.
It is important to understand that we must avoid turning spiritual disciplines into mere laws. We are reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” The Pharisees practiced many spiritual disciplines with great consistency and dedication. They practiced a greater commitment than many of us have been willing to undertake. But the major problem with the approach of the Pharisees was that they allowed their spiritual disciplines to deteriorate into laws which they manipulated to their own advantage. When we find ourselves just going through the motions (of fasting, or study, or prayer)–the result is not growth. The result often is pride. Pride takes over because we begin to believe that we are the right kind of person doing all the right kinds of things.
Practicing spiritual disciplines out of a deep desire to know and to serve God better, leads to transformation within and without. Actual change takes place within us by God’s power. Our willpower and self-discipline are only able to put us in the right place so that real change can take place. Spiritual growth is the purpose of spiritual disciplines. The spiritual disciplines cannot produce change; they only place us where change can occur. The potential fruit which can be produced through such change is pointed out to us in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (The NIV is used throughout this article.) Thus, in our determination to place ourselves in good soil where spiritual growth can take place, we want to consider the discipline of meditation. It will be helpful for us to consider the following three questions as we think about meditation.
1) What is the biblical understanding of meditation?
2) What are some misconceptions about Christian meditation?
3) What are some forms of proper Christian meditation?
1. WHAT IS THE BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING OF MEDITATION?
Three of the most powerful things in this world which tend to pull us away from God are noise, hurry, and crowds. One of the primary purposes of Christian meditation is to simply acknowledge God’s presence. The writers of Scripture knew this and were familiar with the discipline of meditation. The Bible uses two different Hebrew words to convey the idea of meditation, and together they are used more than fifty times. The words have meanings which vary from listening to God’s Word, to reflecting on God’s works, rehearsing God’s deeds, ruminating on God’s law–and there are more.
Repentance and obedience are the essential features in the biblical understanding of meditation. It is this focus on obedience (or faithfulness) that most clearly separates Christian meditation from its Eastern and secular counterparts. The biblical understanding of meditation-is listening to God, and seeking to obey Him. The Psalms are rich with examples of meditation:
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm
“On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night” (Psalm 63:6).
“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long…my eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises” (Psalm 119:97,148).
Through their meditation, God spoke to His people–not because they had special abilities, but because they were willing to listen.
2. WHAT ARE SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CHRISTIAN MEDITATION?
Whenever Christian meditation is taken seriously, there are many who assume that is is synonymous with the meditation of the Eastern religions. In reality, the two concepts of meditation are far apart. Eastern meditation is typically an attempt to empty the mind, while Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind. Eastern forms of meditation stress the need to become detached from the world, and to be released into an impersonal state of Nirvana. Christian meditation speaks not of detachment, but of attachment-to the personal, loving God who is claimed by our faith.
A second misconception is to view meditation as impractical. Some people view meditation as inaction; they believe it is just an escape from the reality of the world around us. This again is not true. In fact, meditation is a tool to redirect our lives so that we can deal successfully with the world around us. In the world of noise, crowds, and hurry, we act and react to events often out of reflex and crude human nature. Meditation sends us into our surroundings with perspective and balance.
Perhaps the most common misconception about meditation is to view it as a religious form of psychology. Meditation may have value in dropping blood pressure, or relieving tension, or providing insights into our subconscious minds. But none of these are the purposes of Christian meditation. Christian meditation provides a time to acknowledge God’s presence and to commune with Him. We can be sure that meditation will lead us to a better understanding of ourselves, but the biblical understanding of meditation is not to explore one’s own subconscious mind; it is intended rather to help us explore our relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
3. WHAT ARE SOME FORMS OF GENUINE CHRISTIAN MEDITATION?
Since it is our purpose to glean something concrete and practical from this message, we want to look at some specific forms of meditation.
Meditation upon Scripture is an important form of meditation. We are not talking so much here about the study of Scripture. Meditation is concerned with the internalizing and the personalizing of a passage of Scripture. It is not a time for technical analysis, nor is it a time to gather information to share with others. This is a time to humble ourselves and receive God’s Word as it is addressed to us. It is important to resist the temptation to pass over many passages superficially. Trying to rush through chapters and trying to meet quantitative goals is not what you want to do. It is best to take a single event, or a parable, or a few verses, or even a single verse-and allow it to take root within one’s mind and heart.
Another form of meditation is what the Quakers have often called “centering down.” It is a time to become still and silent and allow the fragmented thoughts of our minds to become focused (or “centered”). It is best exemplified by a simple exercise called “palms down, palms up.” Sitting with your arms possibly on your knees and with your palms down is symbolic of your desire to let go any concerns you have to God. Maybe you would pray a prayer of releasing to God your fears about an upcoming examination, or releasing the anger that you feel toward someone you work with, or freeing your frustration in trying to find enough time to get things done. Whatever it is, with your palms down, release it. After some time, turn your palms up as a symbol of your desire to receive from God. Here, you could pray for peace about that upcoming school examination; and for love for the person you work with; and for patience regarding the demands on your time. Whatever you sense God is offering to you–with your palms up–receive it.
A third form of meditation is to contemplate soberly about the creation. We have probably all felt what the psalmist expresses in the following words: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1). Such periods of meditation are times not only to appreciate the beauty of creation, but to learn from it. Nature teaches us a great deal about perseverance, growth, change, life, death–and so much more. Every Christian should be environmentally conscious and should desire to preserve and learn from the created order. For Jesus, the creation around Him demonstrated one example after another, as He spoke about the kingdom of heaven.
A fourth form of meditation is to think seriously about the events of our times. This should be a time to seek understanding and to try and perceive the biblical significance of the events around us and around the world. This form of meditation is best accomplished with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. We must, however, remember that the news is full of political propaganda. Keeping that in perspective, we should look for God’s insight into these events and deeply consider our role as salt and light in this world.
We must not be discouraged if, in the beginning, our meditation does not appear to make a difference. We must be humble enough to learn. We are learning a discipline. It is especially difficult because we happen to live in a culture which does not encourage developing such skills. It is not something which we learn and master after a few months; meditation is a way of life, and it is part of the path to spiritual life and growth. If our spiritual life was to be considered a river, it would be safe to say that we for the most part stay near the banks. We need to explore the depths.
God can make a difference in our lives, in the way we look at the people around us, in the things we say, and in the way we feel. I urge all of us to begin a commitment to grow spiritually. Take some time today to meditate. Take time to acknowledge God’s presence and to listen to His voice. May all of us take time to place ourselves in good soil where growth can take place.
