Bible Meditation Promises Something Better Than Zen? Spiritual Meditation
When you think about practising meditation, what image comes to your mind? Like most people, you will probably imagine a caricature of a person sitting on a lotus flower, eyes closed, hands outstretched, muttering the sound "Om" over and over again.
It is a caricature that many Christians may not recognize or even reject. The general sentiment is that meditation is synonymous with magical things and yoga practitioners, not for God's children.
But meditation is one of the disciplines of a Christian's life. Not only that, meditation should be one of our characteristics. But before you get ready to take up the meditation position described above for your quiet time, let's distinguish between the practice of mystical meditation and the meditation practice indicated in the Bible. What is the object of Christian meditation? Why should we practice it? And how?
Faithful followers of God in modern times will understand that the object of our meditation includes the entire Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation.
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| Spiritual Meditation - Bible Meditation Promises Something Better Than Zen |
So, the "object" of our meditation is the Scriptures. But "why we practice it" is also essential. And that contrasts with the meditation that yoga practitioners do. Mystical meditation is emptying the mind for a moment to stop thinking about anything. Those who wish to pursue the benefits of meditation are asked to focus on breathing and calming their minds to relieve stress or anxiety or other forms of mental disturbance or confusion.
On the other hand, Christian meditation is the fulfilment of the mind to do something. It is a means of learning by being exposed to the same ideas over and over again. This involves deep study, reflection, and reflection. Unlike mystical meditation, Christian meditation sees understanding as to the product of thinking about all the so-called virtues. Christian meditation does not end in the meditation itself but is meant to bear the fruit of a righteous life.
But what about the "way to do" in Christian meditation? Mystical meditation methods sometimes enter into the practice of the Christian life: "If I read a verse and quiet my mind, the Holy Spirit will convey something into my empty mind." While well-intentioned, this approach can often lead to misinterpretation on a large scale. Such an approach tends to skip any reflection on the context of a passage or Bible verse and instead promises a quick result in application or encouragement.
The Scriptures have an obvious meaning that the Holy Spirit illuminates. Still, they will also provide a much deeper level of understanding when we make them the object of our thoughts over and over again. In other words, contemplation produces enlightenment. The Holy Spirit will respond to our minds that diligently meditate on the Bible by giving us insight, wisdom, and understanding.
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Christian meditation adheres to the well-known adage that repetition is the primary source of learning. We meditate on God's word by reading and rereading it.
Because we are privileged to live in a time where access to the Scriptures is unprecedented, we can practice Christian meditation in many ways. We can read one translation and then read another translation. We can listen to the Bible read through an application. We can hear the Bible in the form of sung song lyrics and learn to sing it ourselves. We can copy it line by line into a journal, praying for it as we write it.
Think. Study. Reflect. Ponder. Meditating on God's Law, God's promises, God's works, and God's ways train us to think according to these things. And it compels us to act the way we should act. It may not promise the same results as Zen meditation, but it does promise something even better: peace beyond reason, the fruit of our minds fixating on the things of God.