James H. Cagle
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The Bible (KJV) says, “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways” (Ps. 119: 15).
One must meditate on the subject of meditation to better understand meditation.
Meditation is best defined as the quiet contemplation of spiritual truths.
“Meditation is that exercise of the mind by which it recalls a known truth, as some kind of creatures do their food, to be ruminated upon till all the valuable parts be extracted.” – George Horne
“Reading and conversation may furnish us with many ideas of men and things, yet it is our own meditation that must form our judgment.” – Watts
With our natural eyes we have sight and read the Word of God. When we meditate we see with our spiritual eyes and gain insight and understanding of the Word of God.
Meditation is a mental exercise or activity that relies on our power of concentration in order for it to be carried out. Therefore, meditation serves to strengthen our power of concentration. The world with all its attractive distractions works to weaken that power.
To meditate is to muse. “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the works of thy hands” (Ps. 143: 5). To muse “is to think or meditate in silence; to say thoughtfully.” Amuse is the opposite of musing, and means “to entertain or occupy in a light, frivolous, or playful manner.” To meditate or muse is to “commune with your own heart upon your bed” (Ps. 4: 4, 77: 6; Ecc. 1: 16).
The image is, as the fingers of the hand rotate a diamond to view its many facets, so the fingers of the mind rotate a truth to view its many different angles and applications.
Time spent meditating in the Word of God is time spent gathering our thoughts, directing our thoughts, and learning to think after God. Meditation serves to discipline our thought process that our thinking may glorify God by being captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10: 5) and advance or profit us spiritually (1 Tim. 4: 15).
Meditating is part of the formula for spiritual success. By meditating, we better understand God’s Word and can mature and grow in our faith, and can better explain God’s Word to others and aid them in their spiritual growth.
Meditating in God’s Word must be a daily activity in order for us to benefit from it as we should (Ps. 1:2; Josh. 1:8). And this we will do if we take our faith and walk with God and our service for Him seriously.
When we meditate on God’s Word our thoughts dwell upon and are indwelt and shaped by truth and what’s right, and we will then be informed and equipped to live by truth and do what’s right, and show respect to God’s ways by obeying Him.
When we meditate and see the personal benefits of it and how the body of Christ is better served by us we will work to preserve a proper place in our list of priorities for mediating.
Lord Help Me Think!
Lord, help me think.
Know and direct my ev’ry thought.
Let my meditations be
On the wonders Thou hast wrought.
Clean out the worldly clutter,
The mildew, and the mold;
Then make my mind a tabernacle
Where Your glory You unfold.
Refine my imagination
And sanctify my dreams;
Then purge my mental vision
‘Til it’s a crystal clear stream.
Awake my passive mind
So I may finally grasp
And magnify, through my life,
The life of Christ at last.
Let me rise with grander thoughts
Of your power and majesty;
Out of vain oppressive thoughts
On this world’s tapestry.
Give me back the narrow mind
Whose central thought is Thee,
And may my focus ever be
On Christ, Who set me free.
Speak clearly in my heart,
From where my thoughts arise;
Be my consuming theme,
Make me noble, pure, and wise.
O, how I must think
And meditate on Thy Word;
For the nourishment of my soul,
I must muse on truth I’ve heard.
Lord, put Your hand upon my mind,
And turn it t’ward Mt. Zion;
Then will my heart enraptured be
As I envision Judah’s Lion.
Arrest and hold my attention,
Abide in all my thoughts;
Be in ev’ry mental picture,
For a man walks after his thoughts.
James H. Cagle
