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The Discipline of Meditation
The Discipline of Meditation
Pastor Richard Hovey
Pastor Richard Hovey
"A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God himself is here waiting our response to his presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality."
"A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God himself is here waiting our response to his presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality."
A. W. Tozer
A. W. Tozer
Practicing Meditation
Practicing Meditation
Meditating on Scripture
"Just as you do not analyze the words of someone you love, but accept them as they are said to you, accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart, as Mary did. That is all. That is meditation" (Bonhoeffer, The Way to Freedom).
In The Life You've Always Wanted, John Ortberg suggests the following steps for meditating on Scripture:
Ask God to Meet You in Scripture: "Before you begin reading, take a moment to ask God to speak to you. Then as you read, anticipate that he will do so."
Read the Bible in a Repentant Spirit: "Read the Bible with a readiness to surrender everything. Read it with a vulnerable heart. Read it wisely, but understand that reading for transformation is different from reading to find information or to prove a point. Resolve that you will be obedient to the Scriptures."
Meditate on a Fairly Brief Passage or Narrative: "Immerse yourself in a short passage of Scripture - perhaps a few verses. Read it slowly. . . Certain words may stand out to you; allow them to sink into your heart."
Take One Thought or Verse with You Through the Day
Meditating on Creation
"Look at the trees, really look at them. Take a flower and allow its beauty and symmetry to sink deep into your mind and heart. Listen to the birds - they are the messengers of God. Watch the little creatures that creep upon the earth. These are humble acts, to be sure, but sometimes God reaches us profoundly in these simple ways if we will quiet ourselves to listen" (Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline).
Meditating on the Events of our Time
"(The person) who has meditated on the Passion of Christ but has not meditated on the extermination camps of Dachau and Auschwitz has not yet fully entered into the experience of Christianity in our time" (Thomas Merton, Spiritual Direction and Meditation.
What are the events of our time on which we should meditate, pondering to perceive their significance?
Resources
Resources
Articles
Articles
Understanding Meditation by Richard Foster
Meditating on Scripture by Jan Johnson
God's grace is always previous to our desire to know him. His love initiates our relationship with him, and when we love God, this is our response to his interior invitation to personal intimacy. . . (In our pursuit of God), we learn to approach God less as an object or intellectual construct and more as a personality with whom we an ongoing encounter in affective union."
God's grace is always previous to our desire to know him. His love initiates our relationship with him, and when we love God, this is our response to his interior invitation to personal intimacy. . . (In our pursuit of God), we learn to approach God less as an object or intellectual construct and more as a personality with whom we an ongoing encounter in affective union."
Kenneth Boa
Kenneth Boa
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