23 Nov Meditate on the Lord

Here’s a little exercise for you: do a Google search for “what does it mean to meditate on God.” You will get thousands of results for “meditating on God’s Word.” Yes, it’s important that we not only read, study, or even memorize God’s Word; it is important to meditate on it. Have you ever considered meditating on God Himself? I don’t think I did, until it was suggested in one of my daily devotionals, which advised: “It’s important to think deeply on who God is for an extended period.” The author suggested that when we do this, God rewards us with a deeper knowledge of His nature and His love. I was fascinated. When I think about meditating and God, I, like most people I suspect, think about meditating on His Word:

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. Proverbs 1:1-2 (NIV)

After reading the devotional, I got to thinking: What if God wants meditation on His Word to work in unison with meditation on Him? “Be Still and Know that I Am God…” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Delight and Meditate. We can delight in and meditate on not only God’s Word, but God Himself.

• Meditate on Who He is
• Meditate on What He has done, is doing, and will do in your life
• Meditate on His Word

Meditate on Who He is:

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2 (NIV)

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11 (NIV)

Meditate on What He has done, is doing and will do in your life:

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 (NIV)

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8 (NIV)

And yes, absolutely, meditate on His Word:

…but whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:2 (NIV)

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God [a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

Finally, here is a perfect example of the synergy between meditating on both God and His Word:

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NIV)

So, when should we meditate on God and His Word? Always: Pray, praise, meditate. Meditate when you have joy and peace, meditate when you’re struggling. Meditate on God when He blesses you. Meditate on God when He confuses you or disappoints you. Meditating on God keeps you close to God, and James tells us that’s a pretty good idea:

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:7-8 (NIV)

Pastor Jerry Bader