Last week I wrote about the importance of study as a spiritual discipline. Study is an intellectual pursuit and while it is valuable in helping us understand things about God, it’s not the only path open to us. Meditation is another way. Meditation has long existed in both Judaism and Christianity. Psalm 1:2, for example, declares “their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.” Or when the shepherds told Mary what they had experienced, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2: 19).  That’s all meditation is–pondering, turning things over in your mind, chewing on them. It can be a way of bypassing the normal analytic process of the mind to arrive at an “aha!” moment.

I previously explained a method of meditation that contemplative monks used called lectio divina (divine reading) https://joyocala.wordpress.com/2017/01/19/prayer-23-more-praying-with-scripture/

Another way to meditate is with the imagination. Read a Biblical story like Jesus healing a blind man (Mark 8:33-36). Imagine you are present at the event. Picture to yourself how things look, the scenery, the people, Jesus. Feel the dust on the road, the sun beating on your skin. What smells are there.  Listen to the people speak. Watch carefully what Jesus does. How does the man react? How do you feel about what you’ve seen? Now imagine Jesus turning to you. What do you ask him? What does he answer?

Imagination is another way letting the Scripture speak to you. Sometimes the results are surprising.

Read Psalm 1, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne