Meditation #1

The word "meditation" can be off-putting to a lot of Christians because we tend to think of Buddists or Hindus or New Age type meditation. We tend to shy away from the whole thing out of desire to avoid what could be unhelpful or demonic.

Meditation is actually something that can be very helpful.

This is the dictionary definition:
meditation noun 1 the act or process of meditating. 2 deep thought; contemplation, especially on a spiritual or religious theme. 3 a meditative discourse or literary or musical piece.


For a Christian I would say it is good to think deeply on the things of God.
It is not about letting our minds go blank, but about learning to focus our thoughts on God and to train our thoughts and minds not to run away with us

In the Bible we are told to think on the things of God
We are encourage to be familier with and meditate on God's word
We are told to take every thought captive and so destroy mental strongholds
We are told to love God with our mind as well as with our heart
These are only a few times that the mind is mentioned in the Bible


The Psalms of Ascents are a kind of meditation.
They were sung every year by the Jews as they travelled up to Jerusalem. These Psalms were familiar and were learned off by heart. They reminded the Jews of God's faithfulness over the years. They were a way of teaching children by tradition. They were a way of drawing near to God in worship as they travelled towards the temple.


The Celtic way of life included a lot of meditation. There was a rythmn of prayer incorporated into daily life, and these prayers were often based on the cycle of the seasons or the rythmn of life. The prayers were often short and repeated and helped to find God's presence at all times. Some of the worship at Taize is in a similar style.



Recently we have used meditation exercises a few times in small groups, and it was really good to learn how to stil our thoughts and concentrate on God. It showed us how chaotic our thoughts are, and how simple it actually is to slow down and think on God.