Meditating on Scripture

Reading Scripture is a powerful and profound experience, much like sitting on the beach and gazing out at the vast ocean. As you look at the waves rolling in, the vast horizon stretching endlessly before you, there’s a deep sense of awe, peace, and wonder. The sun on your face and the sound of the waves are enough to stir your heart and refresh your spirit. But there’s more to the ocean than what meets the eye from the shore. If you only sit on the beach, you’re missing the fullness of what the ocean holds. Now imagine you enter a submersible vehicle that dives beneath the surface, exploring the depths of the water. What you encounter is a whole new world—a world filled with hidden beauty, intricate ecosystems and vibrant life. The depths are mysterious and awe-inspiring, offering treasures that are impossible to discover from the surface. In the same way, reading Scripture can be a deeply meaningful experience, but when we move beyond just skimming the surface and begin to meditate on God’s Word, we dive into a much richer, more immersive experience. Meditating on Scripture is like exploring beneath the waves: it takes intentional effort and time, but the treasures that await are far greater than what you’ll find with a mere glance of the surface. As we meditate, we explore the depth, breadth, and richness of God’s truth, encountering insights and revelations that deepen our understanding and draw us closer to the heart of God. It’s a journey that, while sometimes challenging and even convicting, offers beauty, life, and transformative power that we would never experience if we stayed on the shore.

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A Secret to Spiritual Thriving

Meditating on Scripture is a vital practice that leads to spiritual prospering, a flourishing of the soul that aligns us with God's will and deepens our relationship with Him. Psalm 1:1-3 beautifully illustrates this concept, describing the person who meditates on God’s Word.  “Blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked or stand around with sinners or join in with mockers. Instead, their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail, and their leaves never wither. They prosper in all they do.” This image conveys both stability and growth—spiritual prospering occurs when we root ourselves in God's truth, allowing His Word to nourish and sustain us. The person who meditates on Scripture day and night is not tossed by the winds of life but is deeply grounded in the unchanging wisdom of God. Similarly, in Joshua 1:8, God commands Joshua, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." This success is not merely material or external; it’s a flourishing that comes from living in obedience to God’s Word, making decisions aligned with His will, and bearing fruit in all areas of life. Biblical meditation, then, is the key to this spiritual prospering. It is not just about intellectual understanding; it’s about internalizing God's Word, allowing it to transform our hearts and guide our actions. As we meditate on Scripture, we tap into its life-giving power, cultivating wisdom, peace, and a deeper sense of God's presence that ultimately leads to a flourishing life marked by spiritual vitality and eternal fruitfulness.

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Practical Way to Meditate on Scripture

Want to learn a technique to help you meditate on Scripture? The following technique was taken from Robby Gallaty’s book, “Growing Up: How To Be A Disciple Who Makes Disciples.”  Once you have a Bible passage you want to meditate on, you can incorporate the 4 P’s: Picture It, Ponder It, Personalize It and Pray Over It:

• Picture It - What does this spiritual truth look like? Visualize what the text is saying in your mind. Picture it as a reality in your life.
  
• Ponder It - To use an old expression, mull it over. Think on it. Repeat it over and over to yourself. What does this text mean? What do the individual words mean? What is God trying to express?
  
• Personalize It - What does it mean specifically to your life? What does this look like in your life? What actions need to happen for the truth to become reality?
  
• Pray Over It - Ask God to bring this truth to life in your everyday experience. Ask him to make the truth real, and to reveal how you should respond.