How can I meditate upon the word of God?
While this may seem like a simple question, it is so important to the believer that we understand the importance of meditating upon the Word of God. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:15, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” The Greek word for meditate here is ‘meletao’, and it literally means to ‘roll around in the mind.’ We are instructed to spend time contemplating God’s Word and then be obedient to what it says. When we do that, we will profit and others will see that!
I think we can get some ideas of how we can meditate on God’s Word by looking at a few places in scripture that speaks of meditating. The first time we hear of meditating is in Genesis 24:63, “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide…” The Hebrew word for meditate here is ‘suwach’, and it means to ‘muse pensively.’ In other words, Isaac was pondering the words of the Lord in a personal sense. We see that Isaac went to a place where he could be alone in the evening when all the activity of the day was finished. It is critical to be in a place of solitude so there will be no distractions. While it doesn’t have to be in the evening, it should be a time when we can clear our minds of the goings-on of the day and set our hearts and minds on the Lord and His Word.
Joshua 1:8 tells us to, “…meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.” Here we learn to meditate anytime, day or night, with a purpose…so that we might be obedient to the Word. The more we think about God’s Word reflectively, we realize the wisdom and perfection of God’s Word and we will desire to obey what the Lord has told us. No fleeting thought about the Lord will produce the same results. We must spend time alone with the Lord in deep thought of what He has told us.
In Psalm 77:12 Asaph had determined, “I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.” Asaph had determined to think long and hard about the wonderful works of the Lord and to tell others of Him. It is through understanding that comes from meditation that we see the value and necessity to tell others of who our God is and how they need Him in their lives.
In Psalm 119:78, David said, “Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.” We gain the strength to withstand the attacks of the enemy when we meditate upon the Lord’s precepts, or purposes made known through His Word. So, instead of being distracted by what the world was doing, David kept his mind on what the Lord was saying to Him.
A word that is very similar to ‘meditate’ is to ‘consider’. We read in 2 Timothy 2:7, “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.” As we think upon God’s Word, He will bless us with a proper understanding of His Word. I feel the need to be clear on this point: meditation is not simply gathering MY own thoughts to interpret God’s Word. No, it is sitting in solitude with the Lord and gathering HIS thoughts to interpret His Word. As the Lord said in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together…” Through meditation, we listen as the Spirit of God speaks to our hearts, revealing precious truths to us. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…”
To truly meditate upon God’s Word, we need to get alone with Him often; concentrate on His Word; look to Him for understanding of His Word; come before Him with a determination to obey Him, and be ready to tell others of His greatness, power, and love. When you do that, “thy profiting may appear to all.” (179.2)