Meditating on the Word
Notes
Transcript
What do you spend your time thinking about? Where does your mind go when it wanders? More than ever we are surrounded by media clamoring for our attention, it’s so easy to be distracted. We can be overloaded with information, connected with others 24/7. How much of our time and attention do we give to God and His word?
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
Most of Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is devoted to extoling God’s word. Laws – 45 verses, God’s word – 30 verses, statutes – 23 verses, commands – 22 verses, decrees – 22 verses precepts – 21 verses, Clearly the writer is in love with God.
Have you ever gotten a love letter? Did you go back and read it over, thinking about what it said, imagining the person who sent it speaking to you through it? That’s what you do when you love someone. Those who love God will love spending time reading His love letter to them, thinking about what it says. David said about the blessed person:
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Loves God’s law
Loves God’s law
The most amazing thing we can realize is that God loves us and has given us His word to be our guide to life. It is His love letter to us in which he reveals His heart to us. Can we say along with the Psalmist that we love His law? This law is meant to show us how to live the best lives possible in this fallen world.
Meditates on it all day
Meditates on it all day
I’m not talking about transcendental or eastern meditation. They tend to focus on looking inward or emptying oneself. Biblical meditation looks upward, focused on God and His word and seeks to be filled with His Spirit.
Prayer that engages the mind and heart by intentional reflection on sacred scripture
In meditating we use our memory, our imagination, and our capacity for reason and association for extended reflection on a particular idea or event.
Why meditate?
Why meditate?
Commanded to
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Gives wisdom and insight
Transforms us by renewing our minds
Strengthens faith
Provides resources for dealing with life’s problems – God’s word is our best guide for living.
To remember - We forget quickly what we read once; we remember what we ponder.
To develop a deeper relationship with God - The goal of meditating on God’s word is not head knowledge but heart knowledge,
We enjoy thinking about people and activities that we love, and meditation means loving the Lord by pondering His Word and allowing its truths to penetrate our hearts. Meditation brings our minds and our hearts together as we consider what God has said to us,
H.P. Barker gives a graphic illustration that points up the need for both knowing and applying the Bible's truths.
As I looked out into the garden one day, I saw three things. First, I saw a butterfly. The butterfly was beautiful, and it would alight on a flower and then it would flutter to another flower and then to another, and only for a second or two it would sit and it would move on. It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could, but derived absolutely no benefit from it. Then I watched a little longer out my window and there came a botanist. And the botanist had a big notebook under his arm and a great big magnifying glass. The botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look for a long time and then he would write notes in his notebook. He was there for hours writing notes, closed them, stuck them under his arm, tucked his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away. The third thing I noticed was a bee, just a little bee. But the bee would light on a flower and it would sink down deep into the flower and it would extract all the nectar and pollen that it could carry. It went in empty every time and came out full.
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
Promise and a lesson. What does it mean to have a steadfast mind
How to meditate
How to meditate
Get quiet
Focus on God
Read the Scripture - In Psa. 119 the writer says he meditates on:
God’s law (v. 97) – the Torah, law of Moses, teaching, instruction
God’s statutes (v.99) - covenant obligatins which guide the heart of one’s life before God
God’s precepts (v.15) – directions, instructions, rule of conduct
God’s decrees (v.48)
God’s promises (v. 148) – God’s word
Ask questions. Adrian Rogers suggests:
1) Is there a command to obey?
2) Is there a promise to claim?
3) Is there a sin to avoid?
4) Is there a lesson to learn?
5) Is there a new truth to carry with me?
Write down your thoughts and what God may be saying to you
The Holy Spirit works with us in this. He comes to dwell in us to be our teacher who guides us into all truth, who reminds us of what Christ taught, who enables us to do God’s will, who transforms us to become more like Christ.
So, will we:
Make it a daily priority
Put aside the distractions
Set our minds on things above
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.