Spiritual Disciplines: Meditation

Introduction

This week we will kick off a new series on spiritual disciplines. I read a book while in school titled Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. This book helped me to connect practices or disciplines for helping with spiritual growth. If you are like me, you read scripture and then try to sort out connecting God with your day to day life. Disciplines aim at doing just that. It is taking practices found in scripture and applying their purpose in our life.

Today’s topic is meditation. First off, this is not to be confused with far east meditation where you are to empty your mind but quite the opposite. The goal with meditation is to engage with God using all your senses and filling your mind with these encounters with God. Lets first define meditation from a biblical perspective to make sure we are all on the same page first with what we are trying to learn as a spiritual discipline.

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Meditation

meditation (μελετή, meditatio) has been used in a variety of different senses in the Christian tradition: (1) the recitation or memorizing of Scriptural texts (this is the predominant sense in early monastic literature, but later fell into disuse); (2) keeping various religious truths or inspirational thoughts in mind during the day (sometimes with different thoughts being recommended for different periods of the day); (3) thinking about things, whether the emphasis is on intellectual rigour, acuteness of perception, or devotional fervour (the object of such meditation might be Scripture, doctrine, life, the world, or almost anything); (4) the application of the mind and often the imagination to the truths of the faith and esp. to episodes in the life of Christ, with a view to stirring an intense affective response (this tends to become a more or less formal exercise). Meditation in all these senses is easily associated with *prayer, because some of the favourite biblical texts are themselves prayers, and thinking about Christian truth sharpens a desire for God’s gifts, and thinking about life reveals man’s need of God; in sense (4) meditation came in due course to be regarded as part of prayer and so it could be integrated into various methods of prayer. Following St *Teresa of Ávila and St *John of the Cross, many writers have posited a sharp distinction between meditation (in sense (4)) and *contemplation. In modern times various forms of meditation have been adopted or adapted from Eastern non-Christian religions, often involving the abandonment of deliberate thought rather than its focusing on a specific religious object.

Richard Foster quote about importance of meditation as a spiritual discipline

“If we hope to move beyond the superficialities of our culture, including our religious culture, we must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation. In their writings all the masters of meditation beckon us to be pioneers in this frontier of the Spirit. Though it may sound strange to modern ears, we should without shame enroll as apprentices in the school of contemplative prayer.”

Foster, Richard J.. Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth (p. 15). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

“Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word.”

Foster, Richard J.. Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth (p. 17). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

“What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart.”

Foster, Richard J.. Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth (p. 20). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

“meditation is the one thing that can sufficiently redirect our lives so that we can deal with human life successfully.”

Foster, Richard J.. Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth (p. 22). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

“Human beings seem to have a perpetual tendency to have somebody else talk to God for them. We are content to have the message secondhand.”

Foster, Richard J.. Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth (p. 24). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Practical tips from Foster for meditation

Set aside a specific time each day

Setting - Where you do this matters as you need a quiet space free from distractions

Posture - whatever position you are comfortable and least distracted in

Foster says all meditations should be centered on Scripture.

“the meditation of Scripture centers on internalizing and personalizing the passage.”

Foster, Richard J.. Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth (p. 29). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Foster gives different forms of meditation

Putting yourself in the passage - active part not observer - you are placing yourself in the story - key is your are an active participant in the passage

Re-Collection or Centering Down - prayer posture - recreating the silence to quiet the mind. Pray with palms down to let go of things and hand them over to God - aka your worries, your stress, your failures, etc. let them go into God’s hands. Then turn palms up once you have removed the distractions and ask God to receive - aka peace, love, empower, etc.

Meditation upon creation - key is focusing on the intricate details and majesty of what God has brought forth into being

Meditation to find significance and meaning in current events - finding prophetic guidance and discernment of current times. Keep centered on Scripture and be mindful of propaganda and agendas in news outlets. Goal is to seek guidance from God on what this is and where it is taking us. Example: Meditation on violence and division in our country and asking God where is this taking us and discerning how to be a light to this world.

I want you to take one or more of these and try meditating by this form

Method 1 - Active Participant

Matthew 9:2-8 - Read this passage and place yourself in this passage. Who do you relate to in this passage? Who could you picture yourself being in this passage?

Method 2 - Re-Collection Palms Down/Palms Up

Psalm 51:1-12 - Read this passage and ask God what do you need to let go of? What is a barrier or something you are dealing with that you need to let go of? Next, ask God what you need? Do you need peace, do you need courage, do you need strength?

Method 3 - Meditation on Creation

Psalm 8

Read this passage and reflect on what you see and experience around you in God's creation. Where do you see beauty? Where are you in awe of God's work found in creation?

Method 4 - Meditation on Current Events

Jeremiah 18:1-11 - Read this passage and think to modern events. What might God be saying about what is happening in our world today? How does God want you to interact or speak in light of these events?

I hope you take on one of these passages and meditation practices to draw you closer to God. Don’t rush it or think it light a light switch that you just turn on. It is called a practice because it is just that. Something you practice to get better at. Don’t be discouraged if you feel like you are hearing nothing. Keep doing it anyway and remember your goal is to draw closer to God as part of this practice of meditating on Scripture.