“Blessed is the man . . . [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Psalm 1:1-3 (ESV) In other words, meditation makes you fruitful. When I go hiking it is easy to spot where streams are. I just look for a row of trees sticking up higher than the surrounding vegetation. These trees are bigger and stronger than the others because they are next to a stream so they have a consistent source of nutrition.
When it comes to the spiritual landscape I want to be one of those trees growing tall and strong. How can I do that? By constantly embracing and meditating on God’s instructions. We know that Jesus completed the law so now we don’t meditate on the Old Testament law but rather the new “law” that Jesus taught. In fact, everything that Jesus and his Apostles taught are the new commandments of God. When we delight in these words, Scripture, and reflect on them and absorb them into our lives then we will be a strong and fruitful tree. Since these words are God’s words of life, meditation makes you fruitful. This is what brings joy to our lives and adds to our blessedness in the coming age of the completed kingdom.
Here is a short outline of meditation:
- Understand the natural meaning of the passage.
- Picture Jesus saying the passage to you and think about your response.
- What feeling does the passage trigger in you? What does that teach you?
- How much do you believe any truths in the passage? Commit to the truths.
- How much are you folloing the instructions or virtures in the passage? Commit to the instructions and virtues.
- Allow 2 minutes of silence to just soak in the passage and let God give you an impression if he wants to.
This practice is one of the four or so foundational practices of the faith. Meditation makes you fruitful. How often do you do meditation?
