ByAccording to the WordWeb dictionary, meditation means contemplation of spiritual matters. In other words, to meditate upon something is to think deeply about that thing in order to understand it better. When used in the wrong way, it’s called “worry.”
God knows the purpose of meditation, and He wants you to understand it also. That is why He has encouraged believers to practice it several times in His Word. Some Bible verses He encourages us to meditate on His Word are 2 Timothy 2:7 and Joshua 1:8.
If meditation is paramount to our spiritual growth in the knowledge of the Word, then each child of God must know its relevance in order to enhance it effectively.
1. To enable you to get a deeper understanding of God’s Word
Until you meditate on the Word, the spiritual light embedded in the words of scripture won’t enter your spirit. And when this doesn’t occur in your life, you’ll not also get a deeper understanding of the Bible.
Psalm 119:130 (NKJV) says,
“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
From the verse above, it’ll only require the entrance of God’s Word to lighten up the spirit of a child of God. Without it, there can be knowledge, yet without understanding, making him spiritually knowledgeable but practically bankrupt.
Haven’t you seen people before who are good at quoting scriptures, yet their lives aren’t transformed? It’s a clear result of the lack of meditation on the Word in their lives.
What you think about affects what you believe, and what you believe in your heart affects how you live. Share on XIn 2 Timothy 2:1–7, Paul encouraged Timothy to be strong in God’s grace and to concentrate on fulfilling his unique calling. He used a lot of figurative life examples to teach him a lesson about focus. However, when he got to verse 7, he said to Timothy,
“Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”
That means Paul expected Timothy to meditate on what he had written to him. So that God will help him get a deeper understanding and how he can apply it to his life.
Today, it’s no longer long letters ministers write to congregants. It’s about books, online articles, audio podcasts, sermon clips, videos and graphics containing spiritual content.
If you meditate on the sound doctrine preached via any possible avenue, you’ll have a deeper understanding of God’s Word.
Remember that what you think about affects what you believe, and what you believe in your heart affects how you live.
2. To help you obey God’s Word fully
Another purpose of meditation is to help you as a Christian obey God’s Word fully, not partly. That is what God meant when He said to Joshua in Joshua 1:8 (NKJV),
“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.”
So here is the revelation. God doesn’t want you to follow Him without living by His dictates. In other words, He doesn’t want you to become His follower without understanding His principles revealed in His Word. That is why you can’t just live anyhow in Christ. And note that all these things aren’t a dictatorship. They’re for our good.
In the same Joshua 1:8, God said that when you meditate and live by the Word, you will prosper in your ways and experience good success. That means your way of life in Christ may not necessarily change. However, in that same way of yours, you shall see prosperity and good success.
Friend, meditation is key to building a strong spirit in the Lord. Don’t do it casually or occasionally; practice it frequently every time you engage yourself in the Word of God.
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