Meditating on Scripture

June, 2002

by: Jeff Jones

A junior higher, who will remain nameless, said to me recently, “The Bible actually has a big impact on you, when you actually think about what it says!” That may not sound terribly profound, but it actually is. How many times do you read the Bible in the morning, then later in the day, think to yourself, “Hmm. What did I read today? I'm sure it was something good. Why can't I remember?” One thing that is lacking in the lives of many Christians, is the discipline of meditation on Scripture. Why is this true? Because training your mind to think about something other than yourself, your experiences, your own thoughts, your own whatever, takes effort. It is not natural for us to constantly meditate on the truths of Scripture; it's much easier to think about nothing, or to think about basketball, etc. Thus we miss God's blessing because we are not savoring God's law. Consider the following Scriptures:

• Joshua 1:8 God said to Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
• Psalm 1:1-2 “How blessed is the man … whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
• Psalm 119:15-16 “I will meditate on Your precepts and regard all Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget your words.”
• Psalm 119:97 “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

Those are just a sampling of verses, but they all stress the importance of meditating on Scripture. It is the exercise of the godly. It is the mark of a blessed individual. It is the sign of a person who loves God's Word. How can the Scripture impact a person who does not think about it? What person won't think about it who does not love it? Our junior high friend it seems has stumbled on to something quite profound.