Here we are at part two on meditation. I've been meditating on meditating and I kind of realized that I do meditate on God, on His Word and even on music that glorifies Him. Wow, who knew! I do mull over what I am reading, listening to and I think about the Lord and talk to Him throughout the day. This is good news. And I bet a lot of you do the same, so you too are meditating without even realizing it. But I still have a hard part. That hard part is listening. I tend to fill my mind with whatever the moment presents, be it Scripture, song lyrics.....but then I forget to stop and be quiet, or I try the quiet thing and my mind refuses to remain so. Overall though, I found it very encouraging that I am not so far off in the meditating department. Mom came up with a pattern for meditating. Perhaps we can find some direction here.
Pattern:
1. Cleansing. Look at yourself. What in my life hinders me. Pray to reveal this. Repent to correct this thing in my life. If I hold onto it, He will not hear me.
2. Surrendering. If I'm to deal with this I must surrender myself to God. 1 Peter 5:6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Humble, yield myself to Him, to serve Him also means surrendering.
3. Asking. According to His will, His direction. 1 John 5:14-15 And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for.
4. Meditate on the Word of God, seeking His guidance. There may be something else that is revealed to us. Psalm 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
5. Believing. Your faith will increase. God's promise, believe what you ask, you will receive.
Mark 11:22-24 Then Jesus said the the disciples, "Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in you heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours.
6. Waiting. If you wait for Me I will act in your behalf. God's guidance. Isaiah 64:4 For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him!
7. Receiving. Ask. Seek. Knock. Matthew 7:7-8 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
From me.
When we meditate on God, and on His Word, we start to know what pleases Him. He leads us to pray, helps us persist, and we learn to wait expectantly. It's almost as if meditating is linked to our prayers. There is a lot to "meditate" on here. And I think once we start, it won't be near as scary as it sounds. LOL
James 1:25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Prayful meditation on Scripture allows the Holy Spirit to remove the veil from our eyes and we are changed. It renews our mind and clears our thinking. It all seems linked...meditating, mind, prayer, actions... And by the way, if you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate, you just need to change direction! LOL
As an aside though, when I came to the verses in Mark 11, I read on to the completion of Jesus' instruction. Verse 25 says, "But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too." Unforgiveness blocks our relationship with God. It is extremely dangerous. Just something to think about.
Lord, help us to focus our thoughts, our minds, and our hearts on You. Help us to set aside time to do this every day and also to do it throughout are day. So many times we just go mindlessly through our routines. Please bring Your Word and Your presence to our remembrance in those times that we may meditate on You. Lord, there is so much here, such a gift....I want to open it and take it out of the box, enjoy it and make the most of it. Help us all to learn this discipline. In Jesus' Name. Amen
Start with a verse from this entry, and meditate on it. Perhaps just sit quietly focusing on the Words, maybe jot down thoughts....and then try to listen for a few minutes. Let's do this!
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