Dear Friends:

One of my good friends in ministry, Dr. Kenneth Boa, has devoted his life to scholarship of God’s Word as it relates to how we live our daily life in relationship to Him. He is a brilliant man, and his discussion on the value of meditating on (and praying) Scripture is worth reading, in light of the video you just heard from my own experience. This article was taken from Ken’s website, www.kenboa.org .

It is impossible to think about nothing. Try it, and you will be aware of yourself trying to be aware of nothing—a zoo of images and thoughts will run through your mind in spite of your efforts to squelch them. When you ask someone what she is thinking about and she responds, “Oh, nothing,” you know this cannot be so. Since the mind does not shut off, the issue is not whether we will think or even meditate; it is what we will think about and where we will direct our thoughts.

Listen to this old proverb:

Sow a thought, reap an act;

Sow an act, reap a habit;


Sow a habit, reap a character;


Sow a character, reap a destiny.

Whether we like it or not, we are always sowing thoughts, since our minds are constantly dwelling on something. The experience of discursive meditation is universal, but the practice of directed meditation is rare. The discipline comes in the effort to deliberately choose that upon which we will set our minds, and in the skill of gently returning to it when we find that we have wandered.

As the saints in previous centuries have attested, meditation is an integral component of Christian spirituality, and yet it has largely fallen into disuse in our time. Many believers have become suspicious of the whole idea, since they think it refers only to the consciousness-voiding techniques of Buddhism, Hinduism, and the New Age movement. But as the Psalms make clear, a biblical approach to meditation does not empty one’s consciousness, but fills it with the truths of God’s revealed Word. To meditate on Scripture and on the person and works of God is to take nourishment for our souls by extending our roots more deeply into holy ground. The more we take root downward, the more we will bear fruit upward (Isaiah 37:31). As we feed on the Lord by focusing our minds, affections, and wills on Him and on His words (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2-3; John 6:63), we commune with Him and manifest the fruit of His excess life (John 15:4-8).

The apostle Paul underscored the importance of the believer's thought life when he encouraged the Romans to set their minds on the things of the Spirit and not on the things of the flesh (Romans 8:4-9), and when he instructed the Colossians to set their minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1-2). Similarly, he exhorted the Philippians to engage in a biblical form of positive thinking: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8). This is not an easy practice, since it is far easier to dwell on thoughts that are untrue, dishonorable, wrong, impure, and ugly, and on things that are of bad repute, shoddy, and worthy of blame. Gossip and criticism are often more appealing in conversation about others than commendation and praise. In addition, we are more likely to view our circumstances in terms of the benefits we lack rather than the blessings we have received, and this is why our prayers are high on petition and low on thanksgiving. (If you don't believe this, try offering nothing but prayers of thanksgiving for twenty minutes, and see how often you have the impulse to slip in prayers of request!) Remember that the heart will make room for that upon which it dwells.

Here are some suggestions to assist you in this life-giving discipline:

• Choose very brief passages from Scripture that are meaningful to you. One or two verses can become the theme of one day's meditation.

• Select specific times for brief interludes of meditation on the text you have chosen for the day. These could be before meals and coffee breaks, or you could use a watch with an alarm to remind you at regular intervals through the day (when the alarm sounds, immediately set it for the next brief meditation break).

• Use your imagination and begin to visualize the concepts in the text in as many ways as you can. Put yourself into the words and into the historical context of the verse.

• Ponder each word and phrase of the text and try to gain as many insights as you can. Creatively approach it from different angles, and ask the Spirit of God to minister to you through this process.

• Personalize the passage and make it your own by putting it in the first person and praying it back to God. Commit yourself to pursue and apply the truths you have found in it.

• Offer praise and worship to God on the basis of your day's meditation.

• Jim Downing in his book on Meditation, suggests a plan that involves the daily reading of every thirtieth psalm, the first corresponding to the day of the month. Five minutes before going to bed, read through the next day's psalms until you find a verse that particularly speaks to you. Then close your Bible, and be sure to make that your last waking thought. If you wake up during the night, think about the verse. In the morning, read through the five psalms with your verse in mind and let it be the theme of your meditation that day.

• Meditation directs the conscious mind during the day, and is an excellent way to practice the presence of God. The H.W.L.W. habit—His Word the Last Word before retiring—programs the subconscious mind during the night (Psalm 63:6; Proverbs 6:22).

• The only way you will develop skill in meditation is by doing it, even when it does not seem to be effective.

(Article can be found at: www.kenboa.org/text_resources/teaching_letters/kens_teaching_letter/2028)

I hope that you enjoyed Ken’s comments on the deep value of meditating on God’s Word!

Blessings,

Ron