“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
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, meditate means to engage in contemplation or reflection. It means to engage in mental exercise, as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness. Meditation means to focus one’s thoughts on, and reflect on or ponder over as well as to plan or project in the mind.
The first chapter of Psalms says that a blessed man or person is one who delights in God by meditating on His Word every day and every night. In fact, the process of thinking about and contemplating, and reflecting upon His Word that makes us strong enough to stand against unrighteousness and stand for the things that are good and right. The strength we gain from concentrating on His Word makes us strong enough to do the right thing when faced with the choice to walk in the counsel of the ungodly who live and work around us. According to the definition, meditation involves speaking, repeatedly, a mantra. The word “mantra” used in the definition from Webster’s dictionary comes from the Hindu and Buddhist language. It is simply a statement or slogan repeated frequently. The Word of God is the “mantra” of a servant of God. While meditating on His Word, we could by definition, repeat verses from the scriptures to help strengthen us.
When I first learned to meditate, I repeated “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, Philippians 4:13, because I wanted to remind myself that I was not strong of myself, but I was strong because God strengthens me. When times get tough and I am experiencing challenging situations, I need to remind myself that “When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles” Psalm 34:17.
When I feel badly because people around me discuss me and my business, judge me, and I feel attacked because of it, I use Psalms 5, specifically verse 8 as my mantra. “Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.” When I am in need of anything that I can’t afford to purchase for myself, I repeat
Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
When things have gotten so bad I couldn’t speak because of my tears and actual heartbreak , I literally took slow deep breaths in and out and repeated, “Thank you Lord for your mercy endureth forever”, my version of Psalms 106:1 while I cried.
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
In an era where we are stressed by the troubles in this life, in addition to prayers, meditation will move mountains we cannot move on our own. There is a peace that comes over me after meditating on God’s Word that gives me strength to hold on. Meditation often brings me joy right in the middle of a serious problem.
It was difficult learning to mediate in the beginning. My attention span was too short and my troubles tried to take over my thinking. So, I had to believe it would help me since I couldn’t get help from anyone else. I had to believe that God’s Word is true. I wanted to be a servant of God and I wanted to serve him with delight. So I put my focus on Psalms one to help guide my meditation. With practice, I learned to rule my short attention span instead of allowing it to rule over me. I learned, through practice and repetition, to let the God’s Word capture my attention and take over my affections so I could quiet my troubled soul. Meditation helped me to rid my challenging environment of clutter and noise and allow God to move through my life, move through my house, and move through my spirit and fix the mess I cried so hard about. Meditation is the deep pondering of the Word of God. It was me, preaching to my own inner soul and allowing the Word of God to work in my life, personally. Meditation helped to improve my circumstances. It helped me to separate myself from my problems. It helped me to submit completely to the Lord, allowing him to take me as his captive.
“I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings,” Psalm 77:11-12.
When I meditate I call to mind the great things God did for Israel both before, during, and after the wilderness as well as the situations he has fixed for me and my children. When I learned to meditate, my life was riddled with trouble and I was overwhelmed. I am as forget of God’s blessings as the Israel of old and meditation helps me to remember and ponder on his promises, his goodness his truth, and his mercy. Meditation was the best remedy and helped to discipline me so I could let His truth work in my life of a single mother taking care of four children on my own. We all know the troubles of a single parent household. Learning to mediate got me through it all, and I am grateful. I highly recommend it!