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Meditative Prayer: Filling the Mind
“We have some idea, perhaps, what prayer is, but what is meditation? Well may we ask, for meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God.”—J.I. Packer
Let God Speak to You
In personal prayer we speak to God, but in meditative prayer we allow God to speak to us through his word and his Spirit. Never before has there been such a need to rediscover the quiet art of meditative prayer.
If we are not careful, the many distractions of this world will drown out the quiet voice of God within our hearts and make us numb to our spiritual needs. We need to find a quiet place to be with God and hear his word. In stillness and solitude God speaks to our hearts and fills us with the refreshing presence of his Spirit.
Emptying vs. Filling the Mind
What do we mean by meditative prayer? Is there such thing as Christian meditation? Isn’t meditation non-Christian? According to Richard Foster, “Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind. Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind” (Celebration of Discipline). Rather than emptying the mind we fill it with God’s word. We must not neglect a vital part of our Judeo-Christian heritage simply because other traditions use a form of meditation. Christian meditation has its roots in the Hebrew tradition of the Bible.
There are numerous Biblical references to prayerful meditation:
- “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:8).
- “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2).
- “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways” (Psalm 119:15).
- “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (Psalm 119:48).
- “O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97).
- “My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise” (Psalm 119:148).
- “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands” (Psalm 143:5).
Written by Winfield Bevins | TheResurgence.com
How to Practice Meditative Prayer
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In Hebrew thought, to meditate upon the Scriptures is to quietly repeat them, giving oneself entirely to God, and abandoning outside distractions. The two main things that we are told to meditate on are God’s word and God’s goodness. Paul tells us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).
We see the difference between the active and contemplative Christian life illustrated in the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and heard his word, while Martha was distracted with much serving. Jesus said that Mary had chosen the best thing because she sat at his feet and was not distracted. Meditative prayer is exactly this, sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing his word. This is a wonderful example of the art of meditative prayer. We must allow time to let the Lord speak to us through meditating on him and his word in prayer.
Steps for Meditative Prayer
- Designate a quiet place. In a world full of distractions, we need a quiet place where we can allow God to speak to us. The most effective place to pray is where you are least likely to be disturbed.
- Give yourself 20-30 minutes. Many people only spend a few minutes each day in prayer. Very few people actually spend time in meditative prayer. It takes time to drown out the cares of the world, sit, prayerfully meditate on God’s word, and then allow him to speak to us.
- Choose Scripture to prayerfully meditate on. Prayerfully select a passage of Scripture that means something to you. Let it either focus on the goodness of God, the promises of God, or the worship of God.
- Allow God to speak to you. This is the hardest part. Many people never hear the Lord speak to them simply because they don’t allow him to. We need to sit and listen for the voice of the Lord. Samuel was open to hearing from the Lord (1 Samuel 3). He said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
Written by Winfield Bevins | TheResurgence.com
Personal Prayer: Before You Pray
Before You Pray
Every believer can have a dynamic personal prayer life. The Bible gives us the keys that we need to develop a powerful prayer life. Scripture is full of examples of men and women who walked with God and used prayer to impact their world, and you can do the same thing through prayer.
However, before praying, there are four things that we should take into consideration.
- Schedule a regular prayer time. Find a time every day to spend in prayer. The important thing is that we should be consistent. The psalmist said that he prayed seven times a day.
- Choose a private place to pray. A prayer closet could be anywhere as long as it is private. You can use your garage, pantry, front porch, or any other creative place where you can get alone with God. Some people pray while driving in their car and others pray while working out or running.
- Try to limit distractions. Don’t pray in the same room where you watch television or are tempted by other activities.
- Have a prayer list to guide your prayers. You should pray for your family, friends, church, etc. This will ensure that you don’t forget important things to pray for.
To be continued.
Written by Winfield Bevins | The Resurgence.com