Godly Meditation
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2
I have been reading a booklet on meditation, not the far eastern method of meditation where one sits cross-legged with eyes closed, first finger and thumb pressed together, and, with the mouth, goes “Hmmmm”, trying to clear one’s mind of all thoughts. I have found that trying not to think about something, anything, is practically impossible. I don’t know about you, but my mind is constantly thinking about something all the time. Even when we sleep, we have dreams but we may not remember them when we awake. Sometimes I think when we wake up in a particular mood, it is because of something that we dreamed but can’t remember.
The kind of meditation that I am talking about is Biblical meditation. Begin by selecting a Bible verse or short passage. Read what comes before and after it so that you can understand the context. Then read it several times and then concentrate on each word or phrase as to what it means concerning the work of God and how it relates to you. Believe it or not, everything in scripture is written for the benefit of each individual. The Bible is a book for all people, one person at a time. Don’t forget the most important part, that is, to pray that the Holy Spirit will help you as you seek to learn more about God through His word. This is just a brief description of one method of meditation, and perhaps, there are other methods that would be more suitable to you. It’s also a good idea to try and memorize scripture. When you do, you can recall a verse from your memory bank and meditate on it anytime and anywhere.
Psalm 1 is a good passage on which to meditate. It focuses on the godly person vs. the ungodly person. The godly man or woman, that is, one who loves God and is conscientious about living a life that is pleasing to Him, is blessed when he or she refuses to listen to the advice of those who are living for themselves apart from a relationship with the Lord, oblivious to the words of scripture which were written to show folks the best way to live. The godly folks are also blessed when they choose to associate with people who add value to their lives through encouragement and prayer rather than hanging out with superficial people who might be what we call “the wrong crowd”. It is true that we need to befriend these folks so that we can be a witness to them and show them a better way to live, but we don’t want to adopt their sinful lifestyles. And we certainly don’t need to associate with those who mock God and mock all those who believe in Him, but we do need to pray for them. It’s not about shunning the ungodly. It’s about being a good and godly influence upon them rather than allowing them to be a bad influence upon us. That being said, I believe that there are some folks that we need to stay away from, and you probably know someone like that.
Psalm 1 goes on to say that the godly person is like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its proper season. The leaves never wither, and whatsoever the godly person does, he or she shall prosper in it. That’s the good news for those who love God and live according to the words of scripture. However, there is bad news for those who don’t. They are described as the “chaff which the wind blows away”. They will not experience a joyous future like those who belong to God, and He knows who belongs to Him and who doesn’t. The bad news can be turned into good news, though, because God gives folks opportunities to repent and become members of His family. The eternal future of men and women hang in the balance.