Meditation: Your gift from God
The word “meditation” brings up uncertainty and skepticism for many people, especially people devoted to their religions in varying churches. I, too, had a hard time wrapping my mind around the practice. The only thing I knew about meditation was what I saw with the new age movement. Oh … and from a vague reference from the Bible. Something like “meditate upon the word of the Lord.”
When I finally decided I wanted to know more about what God said concerning the practice of meditation, I did a word search in an online version of the King James Bible (kingjamesbibleonline.org). To my surprise, the word “meditate” came up 18 times. Moreover, the word “meditation” came up six times. Twenty-four different mentions in the Bible and not once have I heard a pastor, preacher, or priest talk about meditation as a powerful mental tool authorized by God. On the contrary, there seems to be a general fear associated with meditating. So what has God asked us to do that some people seem to believe is evil?
Well, let’s first look at one of these Bible verses: Joshua 1:8 – This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
So what does this scripture tell us? One, that we “shalt” meditate on God’s law, his scriptures. Note that the word “shalt” is a command. Two, that we must meditate day and night. Day and night means always. Third, meditation allows us to “observe to do”. This explains that meditation gives us the ability to see and obey God’s word. And four, meditation upon God’s word provides for opportunities of prosperity and success. Such a powerful command and blessing and, yet, little understanding of what meditation actually is.
For the definition of meditation, you have to go to the Greek. (The Torah and other books of the Bible were translated and written in Greek, the cultural language during the time of Christ.) The word “meditate” in Greek means to muse over, to ponder over, to revolve something in one’s mind. In other words, to meditate is to imagine or to visualize.
We actually do meditate day and night. Mostly about bad things. Images of the abuse by an ex-partner stay trapped in your mind and now you can barely get out of bed in the morning. As you lay on the couch, you vividly see in your mind’s eye how you were attacked that day and you refuse to leave your house for fear it will happen again. Your jealousy and rage come out with little things because you cannot help but imagine that your partner is cheating on you.
God knows that “all acts performed in the world begin in the imagination” (Barbara Gritzuti Harrison). This is why God insists that we use the power of our minds and meditate or imagine ourselves in the stories and the struggles of faith in the Bible. Stories of flawed men and women who triumphed in God’s work. The story of Christ’s life and his pure example of love to the world. Imagine yourself using the image of Christ to clean yourself of your pains and hurts and begin to have peace in your heart. Imagine yourself doing good in the world and see where your life takes you.
You choose where your mind goes as you rest with your eyes closed basically hypnotizing yourself. Where do the rooms of your mind take you? To the dark corners of Hell or to the warmth of God’s love? Think about this the next time your throw yourself on the bed or couch and start to play out in your mind all the bad things that have happened to you that day. Then gently stop and remember to love yourself with your gift from God.
Mother Owl
