Transcendental Meditation (TM) is highly recommended in this culture as healthy and beneficial to your peace and ability to handle life’s problems. However, TM starts right out with the wrong concept that you need to empty your mind. God’s way of meditation is meant to renew your mind so that your thoughts lead you in a beneficial path. Here’s how to do that.
The scripture says, “The entrance of Your word gives light” in Psalm119:130. So, God’s form of true meditation starts with picking a portion of scripture to focus on! It can be on a subject that you feel you need, like love or joy or peace. You can use one verse or a grouping but don’t make it too long or it will get complicated.
Step One: Using a notebook write out your verse and reference as it is stated in the Bible then underline all of the main words like love, abundance, keep, etc. Don’t bother with the or and or other small connecting words. Try to memorize it first. Don’t worry if that’s difficult at first. It will get easier
Step Two: You’ll need a concordance or an app on your phone where you can look up the Hebrew or Greek for each main word. Hebrew is used in the Old Testament and Greek is used in the New Testament. Now, look up the complete or expanded meaning of each major word you have underlined as it is in the original language. This will take some time and can be done one word per day if needed.
Step Three: Read over the meanings of the words and think quietly about them and how they might apply to your personal life. Ask God’s Holy Spirit to teach you and listen for His insight in your heart. Write those insights by those word meanings. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to guide you into all truth.
Step Four: Re-write the verse in your own words using the expanded meaning you found and the insights the Holy Spirit gave you. Now work again on memorizing it in its original form. It will stay with you for a lifetime and pop into your head just when you need it.
Here’s an example from my meditation of Jeremiah 17:5-8. In verse six it explains that a person who puts their trust in themselves and turns their heart away from God “will be like a bush in the desert”. Now, we know that deserts can often have a certain amount of life in them. But the expanded meaning of bush here was so dead and dry it could only be burned. No hope of any life left in it. And desert was a salt land where nothing could remain alive. That was a pretty bleak picture for the person trying to run their own life. But in verse seven it says, “Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water.” Now, it goes on to say this person or tree will still be green and fruitful even in drought or tough times because it pushes its roots deep into the aquifer waters under the surface. That means we have to grow deeper in our understanding of Jesus and His love for us so the tough times don’t dry us up. But one of the best insights I found was that the words “bush” (in the desert) and “tree” (by the waters) were the exact same word and the word “planted” actually meant “transplanted”. So my delight came from realizing that no matter how dry and dead my life may feel if I throw my trust onto and into the Lord Jesus He will make my life green and flourishing again. It was this form of meditation that brought that life-giving truth to the light for me.
So can you see how this form of God’s style of meditation can give your life so much more?
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