SkiesChristian meditation
Christian meditation
Not emptying the mind, but filling it: slowly turning over a passage of Scripture until it becomes prayer.
Christian meditation means slowly and repeatedly reflecting on a passage of Scripture so that it shapes your thoughts and becomes prayer. The Bible describes the blessed person as one who meditates on God’s law “day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Unlike techniques that empty the mind, it fills the mind with God’s word.
Five steps
- Settle. Sit comfortably, breathe slowly, and ask God to speak.
- Read. Read a short passage slowly, twice, aloud if you can.
- Notice. Which word or phrase stays with you? Repeat it quietly.
- Pray. Turn that phrase into a prayer to God.
- Rest. Sit in silence for a minute, trusting God with what you can’t control. (Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God,” was first said over a world at war; many Christians pray it in quiet.)
Is meditation Christian?
Yes. Meditation on Scripture is old as the psalms. What makes it Christian is its focus: not your breath or an empty mind, but God speaking through his word, and you answering him in prayer.
In Scripture
But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:2
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”
Psalm 46:10
