I can anyone tell me something about it? such in how is it dones, and what it is your doing? I guess I mean i am not sure i understand it at all

Tti

Biblical meditation has to do with thinking about the scriptures and letting those truths permeate our lives as we gain insight as to how to apply those truths.

um so you just sit there and think?
I still finde i do not get how to do this.
maybe i am just slow

Hello Tri,

There are various ways to meditate on God's Word. Perhaps the suggestions on this site will assist and provide some guidance for you.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/questions/meditation.html

Nick P.

Hi, Tri

I became interested in your question and decided to answer the best I could. It's a bit long but you may find it insightful.

***

In plain English, Meditation means a state of profound and lengthy contemplation (reflection, thoughtfulness, musing) on a subject. Spiritual matters are the subject of Philosophy and Religion.

Only the human race is endowed with the ability to meditate as it involves a host of the highest functions of the human mind like analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, abstraction, generalisation, integration, attention and concentration, memory etc. As such, it is a process pertaining to the realms of intelligence and consciousness. Note that we lose this ability during sleep, intoxication with alcohol or drugs, unconsciousness due to anaesthesia, hypnosis, disease or injury, and as result of permanent brain damage.

Meditation brings knowledge, enriches experience and influences conduct.

Coming to the religious use of meditation, a distinction should be made between Eastern and Monotheistic Meditation.

The Asian practice originated in ancient India thousands of years ago, was termed dhyana in Sanskrit and became a basic feature not only of Hinduism but also of Bhudism, Yoga and Daoism, to name but the most prominent. Its technique consists of depriving oneself from the stimulation of the senses and thoughts by sitting cross-legged with straight-up back and closed eyes. Attention is paid to keeping a steady and quiet breathing pattern. Thoughts are progressively banished without judgement or attempt at controlling them until one's mind is transcended. The objective is to achieve a state of ecstasy or sublimation that enables the believer to connect with a non-personal and universal principle, cosmic idea and the like.

Devoid of its mystical connotations, Transcendental Meditation started to be used in medical practice towards the middle of last century to treat disorders like stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, etc.

The kind of meditation practised in Judaism, Islam and Christianity is, on the contrary, a dialogue with God and involves prayer.
Let us now consider Christian Meditation.

I prefer to see prayer as a petition to God and meditation as a dialogue with Him.
The subject of Christian Meditation is the Word of God as written in the Bible or as revealed directly to us while meditating or praying. There is an interdependence between Scriptural and Spiritual revelation, and the former is the blueprint of the other.

The following Biblical quotes give an idea of the contents and objectives of meditation:

Deu 6:6-9 And these words which I command you this day shall be in your heart. And you shall carefully teach them to your sons, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.

Jos 1:8 This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely.

Psa 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is only in the Law of Jehovah; and in His Law he meditates day and night.

Psa 63:5-6 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips, when I remember You on my bed and think of You in the night watches.

Psa 77:11-12 I will remember the works of Jehovah; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also think on all Your work, and talk of Your doings.

Psa 119:11 I have hidden Your Word in my heart, so that I might not sin against You.

Psa 119:15-16 I will think on Your Commandments and have respect to Your ways. I will delight myself in Your Precepts; I will not forget Your Word.

Psa 119:97-102 Oh how I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day. Through Your Commandments You make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers; for Your testimonies are my prayer. I understand more than the old men, because I keep Your Commandments. I have kept my feet from every evil way, so that I might keep Your Word. I have not departed from Your judgments; for You have taught me.

1Ti 4:13-15 Until I come, attend to reading, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the body of elders. Meditate on these things; be in these things in order that your improvement may appear to all.

Mat 22:37 Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."

The practical advices we can draw from this exposition include:
1. Pray as a daily exercise, for particular situations and people, before reading the Bible, before advising others and before engaging in Biblical discussions.
2. Read the Bible regularly and aim to understand what you are reading. Try to extract meaningful answers to your own questions or situations and to those of people you know. Make use of English and Bible dictionaries as well as commentaries made by reputed Bible teachers and preachers.
3. Visit a church, participate in Bible studies, cling to people who have a strong relationship with the Lord.
4. Compare, widen and support your own understanding of things with the understanding of other Christians. There is an impressively vast amount of enlightening Christian literature produced in the last two thousand years!
5. If you own a computer and have access to the Internet you can readily make use of the advantageous resources of electronic media in a variety of forms: Bible software (e-sword is a MUST), free e-books, message boards, etc.
6. Never be embarrassed by your own thoughts and questions. We can only look candid the first time, but if we don't ask we'll be stupid for ever. The Lord is genuinely interested in our growth and will speed up the necessary help when we are ready.

Practical example: Let us take the very first verse of the Bible.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
This is a straightforward statement. It simply says that the Universe as we see it has not always existed but came into being at a moment in time by the action of someone called God.

As we start meditating upon it, a number of assertions emerge in our minds:
I- God, the Author, had to exist prior to His Creation. I don't know who and how created Him but He was alive and capable of such an awesome job. Therefore, He Exists outside and independently of the world. He is in the position of Master and Overseer upon what He created. We are bound to His authority and owe Him respect.
II- We know by experience and observation that this world is very beautiful and complicated. Science has not been able to decipher all that Nature and Life are. Therefore, God is exceedingly intelligent, wise, thorough and aware of all things.
III- The verse speaks about a beginning, and we know also by experience and observation that middle and end should ensue. Therefore, God has a plan for His Creation and it unfolds along the timeline of History.

A number of questions arises as well:
> What are the method and order God used to create the Universe?
> How does He interacts with His Creation and which are the regulations He deviced for it?
> What is the purpose He has for His Creation?
> How did we come to the present condition of the world?
> How does this Biblical account compares to other doctrines and teachings?

This is only the beginning of the first Book. You still have another 65 Books ahead to answer these and other questions which are naturally brought about as you learn and meditate on the Word of God.

***
Hope you find this information of use. It has worked for me so far.
Many blessings in the Name on the Lord.
Jorge S.

Thank you, I found this explination to help me a lot in understanding not only meditation and contemplation but a few other things too

thoughfuly
Tri

i work with a guy from india and he is telling me about meditating, can you do both??

I don't know all what is involved in eastern meditation but I did try the Buddist version once - it is my understanding that you have to accept some anti-christaian thoughts to meditate in an eastern fashion; if this is the case then it is unwise to attempt it; because as christians we have to always have in our mind some crucial foundational points - like the diety of Christ for example - eastern thought is more along the lines that we all can become the christ & that if we meditate good or long enough we will be eaqual to christ. As christians we should know that this is impossible to achive in this body or the next, as God never promises us that we will become gods & Jesus is part of God so we will never be his eaqual. However the bible does say that we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) - so if this is our goal in our meditation it should be ok.