Christian Meditation

CHRISTIAN MEDITATION

TEXT: PSALM 143:5 **READ**

INTRODUCTION:

THE PSALMIST OF OUR TEXT IS DAVID. GOD SAYS OF HIM THAT HE’S A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART" (I SAM. 13:14). TO MAKE CLEARER THE LORD'S OPINION OF DAVID, HE SPOKE THROUGH THE APOSTLE PAUL SAYING: "HE (GOD) RAISED UP…DAVID TO BE THEIR KING…AND SAID, I HAVE FOUND DAVID THE SON OF JESSE, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART." ACTS 13: 22.

IN OUR TEXT, THE WORD TRANSLATED AS "MEDITATE" IN THE TEXT IS THE HEBREW WORD: HAGAH (HA-GA'), WHICH MEANS: “TO PONDER.“ THE WORD TRANSLATED AS "MUSE" IN THE TEXT IS SIYACH (SEE'-ACH) THAT MEANS: TO CONVERSE WITH ONESELF. SO, THIS MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART, IS LITERALLY SAYING, "I PONDER ON ALL THE WORKS OF GOD," AND," I CONVERSE WITH MYSELF ON THE WORKS OF GOD'S HANDS."

THESE SAME ADMONITIONS ARE REFLECTED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ALSO. CONSIDER THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL TO TIMOTHY. AFTER WRITING TO HIM REGARDING THE THINGS HE SHOULD BE DOING, PAUL SAYS: "MEDITATE UPON THESE THINGS; GIVE YOURSELF WHOLLY TO THEM THAT YOUR PROFITING MAY APPEAR TO ALL." I TIM. 4: 15. THE WORD TRANSLATED AS "MEDITATE" IS THE GREEK WORD: MELETAO (MEL-ET-AH' O), WHICH MEANS, "TO REVOLVE IN ONE'S MIND."

AND AGAIN TO THE PHILLIPIANS HE SAID, "WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE TRUE, HONEST, JUST, PURE, LOVELY, AND ARE OF A GOOD REPORT, THINK ON THESE THINGS." PHP. 4: 8. THE KEY COMMAND HERE IS: THINK ON THESE THINGS.

IN MY 42 YEARS AS A CHRISTIAN AND 33 YEARS AS A PREACHER, I NEVER HEARD A MESSAGE ON MEDITATION. YET, WHEN I READ THE BIBLE, THE MIND AND THINKING IS ALL OVER IT. SUCH AS, **ROM. 12:1,2 READ** PINK, AND PHP. 4:8: “…WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE TRUE, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE HONEST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE JUST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE PURE, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD REPORT; IF THERE BE ANY VIRTUE, AND IF THERE BE ANY PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS. THE APOSTLE PAUL SAYS IN I COR. 2:16 THAT CHRISTIANS HAVE “THE MIND OF CHRIST.” WE’RE ALSO TOLD IN PHP. 2:5, TO “LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU, WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS…”

BACK TO OUR TEX; DAVID WAS A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART, AND IT WAS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT ON GOD. LET’S EXAMINE THIS TOPIC MORE DEEPLY:

I. MEDITATION: WHAT IS IT?

A. A DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF MEDITATE IS: TO REFLECT UPON; STUDY; PONDER; TO THINK DEEPLY AND CONTINUOUSLY.

1. SO, MEDITATION IS A MENTAL EXERCISE -- A PROCESS OF THOUGHT. ACTUALLY, MEDITATION IS NOT A MEANS, BUT AN END.

2. MEDITATION IS A RESULT OF, OR HAPPENS AS THE EFFECT OF, PROLONGED CONCENTRATION OF THE MIND UPON ONE SUBJECT, OBJECT, OR THING, TO THE EXCLUSION OF ALL OTHER SUBJECTS, OBJECTS, OR THINGS

B. SO, MEDITATION IS A SPONTANEOUS HAPPENING RESULTING FROM PROLONGED CONCENTRATION OF THE MIND ON ONE THING. AS WE FOCUS AND CONCENTRATE OUR THOUGHTS ON ONE THING, WE CAN EVENTUALLY ENTER A STATE OF MEDITATION, WHERE ARE THOUGTS ARE TOTALLY CAUGHT UP IN AND ABSORBED WITH THE TOPIC OF OUR MEDITATION – IN OUR CASE: GOD!

C. SOME MAY ASK: "IS THIS DIFFERENT THAN PRAYER?"

MOST OF THE TIME, WHEN WE THINK OF PRAYER, WE THINK OF THE PROCESS OF ASKING GOD FOR THINGS, MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL.

IT MAY BE THINGS WE THINK WE NEED OR THAT WE ACTUALLY NEED, AND THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE FOR OURSELVES OR FOR OTHERS, BUT THE FOCUS IS MOSTLY ON OURSELF OR OTHERS.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS EXAMPLES OF THIS IN THE BIBLE. JESUS HIMSELF TELLS US TO “ASK, SEEK AND KNOCK” IN ORDER TO SEEK AND RECEIVE HIS BLESSING, BUT LET’S GO A LITTLE DEEPER AND LOOK AT BIBLICAL MEDITATION.

II. CHRISTIAN MEDITATION: ITS NATURE AND FOCUS

A. ASKING FOR THINGS FOR OTHERS OR OURSELVES IS ONLY A PART OF PRAYER.

B. TO BE BIBLICALLY CORRECT, CHRISTIAN PRAYER SHOULD INCLUDE THE ELEMENT OF MEDITATION: CONCENTRATING ON, THINKING ON, AND PONDERING THE ACTS, THE NATURE, THE GOODNESS, THE ATTRIBUTES AND THE CHARACTER OF OUR GOD.

C. WE KNOW THAT GOD HAS SHOWN HIMSELF TO US THROUGH THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. JESUS SAID: "I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE," AND AGAIN "THE FATHER IS IN ME, AND I IN HIM." JOHN 10: 30 & 38.

HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLE PHILLIP, "HE THAT HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE FATHER." JOHN 14: 9.

C. THEREFORE, THE FOCUS OF OUR MEDITATION AS CHRISTIANS IS TO BE ON THE CHARACTER, ACTS, ATTRIBUTES AND NATURE OF GOD AS DISPLAYED IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AS HE IS REVEALED TO US IN THE WORD OF GOD.

III. CHRISTIAN MEDITATION: A METHOD FOR FOCUSING OUR THOUGHTS

A. TWO IMPORTANT POINTS HERE:

1. FIRST, CONCENTRATING ONE'S THOUGHTS IS A VERY DIFFICULT TASK. WE SEE THAT EVEN WHEN WE TRY TO PRAY, WE FIND OUR MINDS ARE VERY UNRULY AND DRIFT OFF THE SUBJECT.