Meditation

How many times have you heard that over the past two weeks? The teller at the bank, the cashier at the grocery store, the person you work with, your friends from church. And of course, each time you hear it, you respond by repeating that wish back to the one who uttered it.

But for all the hundreds of wishes for a Happy New Year, there are very few people who will tell you how to have a happy new year. In fact, the next time someone says, “Happy New Year” to you, surprise them by responding, “OK, How do I do that?”

There are a lot of people who are anything but happy. They face families in crisis. They just got their hours cut, or laid off from work. The holidays were OK, but now the bills are coming due, along with the taxes. School is a place of torment and ridicule, not fun and learning. Many have watched their retirement nest egg disappear over the past 12 months. A great number of people live in great fear of terrorist attack, gang violence, global conflict and rising fuel costs.

And in the middle of all that’s going on, we throw out the mindless greeting, “Happy New Year!” without any idea how to have one ourselves, let alone how to guarantee one for anyone else. The Happy New Year wish becomes just that, a wish.

There is a place in the Bible that specifically tells us how to have not just a happy new year, but a happy life. Interested? Turn with me to the first chapter of Psalms. Generally, Psalms is described as in the middle of the Bible. If you open up to the middle of your Bible, chances are you might hit one of the 150 chapters in this longest book of the Bible. If not, you’re close.

Isn’t that just a great passage? It is so lyrical – it’s no wonder that it was written as the introductory song for the Bible’s song-book. But like many of the hymns and choruses we sing, it’s far too easy to read them, or sing them, without really believing or even understanding what they say. So let’s take a closer look for just a few minutes at this formula for a happy new year and happy life.

Let’s focus for a minute on that first word, the word “blessed.” We don’t really hear that word very often outside of church, do we? We hear it when someone quotes the beatitudes during a confirmation ceremony, or someone might occasionally say, “I’ve been so blessed with my wonderful husband.” (Or maybe you haven’t heard anyone say that!) Anyway, we hear it, and we sometimes say it, but do we really know what it means?

The root meaning of the Hebrew word used here is “happy.” And the way that word is used is interesting. In the original Hebrew, the word is in the plural, and is written in a tense that could be translated, “Oh, the happiness of…” or, “The happy life belongs to…” the people about to be described. The New Living Translation renders it,

The songwriter first tells us what these happy people don’t do, then he tells us what they do do.

A Progression to Avoid

The truly happy do not “follow the advice of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, or join in with mockers.” There is a progression here, one in the description of the action, and the other in the description of the companions. Notice first the companions. Fist they are simply “ungodly.” These are not necessarily evil, they simply have nothing to do with God – you may know a number of very nice people, who are “ungodly.” I do. Nice enough folks, they just don’t believe in God. In this second phrase we see that now the companion is a “sinner.” This implies a continual acting out of evil desires. The absence from God has equated itself to action. Sin has become a way of life. If they recognize it at all, they don’t really care, because they have abandoned the presence of God. The next companion to be avoided is the mocker. This now shows us a person who has gone from being ungodly, to being active in his godlessness, to now being a scoffer – one who actively hates the things of God – who abuses and has contempt for God, His word, and His followers. I must tell you, I see more and more of this third group in our society today. They are portrayed on television with regularity, they sit in our executive suites, they walk the halls of our schools and universities.

And then there is the progression of action. In the first phrase, the person is walking, in the second, standing, and in the third, sitting. These represent three degrees of subtle departure from God. First accepting the advice of the world, then being party to it’s activities, and then third, adopting a position of permanence, of fellowship, with those who openly scoff at God.[1]

One quick side note: These verses are not a call for us to separate ourselves from people who are not believers. That’s not what Jesus did. He made a point of hanging out with sinners, but he did not seek their counsel, he did not conform to their ways. He told us that we are to be “in the world, but not of the world.” It is a difficult thing to do, we must be careful, but it is possible, and we will see how as we move to verse 2.

Now look at verse 2. It starts with one of my favorite words in the Bible – “but.”

I love it when there is a “but” in Scripture. It means that there is an alternative. There is another way. There is hope! And there is! While we have seen the path to avoid if we want to have a happy new year and beyond, now we are going to see the place to go to guarantee that happiness.

A Place to Go

Listen to the verse: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

The three negatives we have looked at have cleared the way for the one positive, and that positive is our First Spiritual Discipline. During these first months of 2007, we are studying the Spiritual Disciplines. Last week we said that the Spiritual Disciplines “Spiritual activities that only we can do that allow God to do what only He can do.” The example we looked at to clarify was a farmer – he must do his part - prepare the field, plant the seed and care for it – but there are parts of farming that only God can do – cause the rain to fall, the seed to germinate, the weather to be warm. In the same way, there are activities that only we can do that allow God to do what only He can do. We must prepare the landscape of our souls to receive the growth that we desire and God wants us to have. We will be looking at 12 of these disciplines in the weeks to come, learning about each one and allowing the Holy Spirit to prompt us when there is a specific one He wants us to develop in our own personal life. The first discipline we will explore is found here in verse 2: Meditation.

What image comes to your mind when you hear the word “meditation”? For many of us, it might be Ellen DeGenerus – who has been appearing in an American Express Card commercial sitting in the lotus position, her hands on her knees in a classic eastern meditation position. Or you might think of another eastern religious person – the Dalai Lama, Buddha, or some other.

The growth of Eastern philosophies and religions in our culture has caused a lot of concern in the church in the past century. Because these religions use meditation as an important part of their practices, Christians have, for the most part abandoned this important discipline. But there are huge differences between the two. Eastern meditation is “an attempt to empty the mind, to be free from the burdens and pains of this life and to be released into the impersonality of Nirvana.”[2] The goal is escapism – they don’t believe in God, so there is no God to be seeking or hearing from – they simply want to escape the cares and trials of this world. The goal is detachment.

Meditation that is described and practiced in the Bible, however, has as its goal attachment – to connect with, focus on, hear from and be filled with the presence of God. Adele Calhoun defines Biblical Meditation as “A long, ardent gaze at God, His work and His Word. Slowing down and giving one’s undivided attention to God.”[3] It is a discipline that is practiced throughout Scripture – obviously David wrote about it in this Psalm, and in many others. In fact, in Psalm 119 alone there are 8 calls to meditate on the Word of God, and the Bible has many examples of meditation:

Ø Isaac went out to a field in the evening, and was meditating, seeking the Lord, while waiting for God to direct him to a bride when Rebekah was brought to him by his servant

Ø Moses spent quiet days on the mountain communing with the Lord, Paul talks of times “in the Spirit,” when he was focused purposefully on the Lord.

Ø Jesus made a habit of getting away to solitary places for times of prayer and focus on the Lord – two times in particular stand out to me – before he selected the 12 to be His disciples, and after hearing about the death of John the Baptist. Those were times He needed to be in especially close contact with the Father. But those times of prayer, stillness and solitude were common in his life. Jesus took those times to seek out his heavenly Father, to listen to Him and be in communion with Him, and He invites his disciples to do the same thing.

Meditation has been a part of the Christian church from its foundation. In the book of Acts we see Annanias, Philip, Paul and Peter all received instruction from the Lord as they sought Him. Throughout the history of the church, leaders have written and spoken of the importance of meditation. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a great German Theologian who was killed for his faith by Adolf Hitler, was once asked why he meditated, and he said, “Because I am a Christian.”

More recently A.W. Tozer, wrote, “A spiritual kingdom lies all around us enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here waiting our response to His presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality.”[4]

Jerry Bridges in The Pursuit of Holiness, writes, “If we are to pursue holiness with discipline, we must do more than hear, read, study or memorize Scripture, we must meditate upon it…”[5]

A Process To Get There

So, how do we do it? It’s actually very simple to learn, but it takes time to master. The goal is to hear and apply the word of God. It all begins with being in the Bible. As I read the Bible, a word or phrase might stand out to me. After reading, reflect on what you have read – is there a thought, phrase or specific word that got your attention? Now, take a few moments to close the eyes, and ponder that message.

In my personal studies recently, I’ve been reading from I Samuel – I love the stories of Eli, Samuel, Saul, and king David. When I read chapter 3, I came to the account of God’s call on Samuel’s life. Samuel was working as an assistant in the Temple, Eli was the high priest. One night, Samuel heard a voice calling him, he got up an rushed to Eli, who told him he had not called him, and to go back to bed. This happened three times, and Eli realized that it was the Lord calling to Samuel, so he told him to go back to bed, and if he heard the voice again, to reply, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Now, I have heard and read that story since I was in first grade – but something about that phrase just stuck in my head. As a result, when I pray, or when I have quiet times at home, or in my office, I will simply begin to think on that phrase – “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” I quiet myself to listen. If my mind wanders, and it does, I bring myself back to that place by repeating the line, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” I have realized that so many times I spend all of my times with the Lord telling Him about my problems, and asking Him for solutions or direction or relief, but then I hardly ever give Him a chance to speak to me!

Meditation is aimed at giving God that opportunity. Perhaps some other phrase will leap off the page for you – “Do not be afraid,” or “Love one another.” It could be just about anything that God will use to get your attention. Or it may be going outside on a clear night and gazing at the stars, and asking God to fill those moments with Himself.

When I quiet my mind, focus my attention solely on His Word, or on His attributes, or on some wonder of His creation, I am giving Him an opportunity to fill my mind and thoughts with His presence. As His Spirit is given more access to our thoughts and attention, we will find ourselves conformed more and more into His image. We will gain depth of insight, we will be able to appreciate the wonder of His creation, see other people with a view closer to His own, and have a peace when we face adversity because we will have greater awareness of His presence and control in every circumstance.

A Proposal to Consider

As with each of the disciplines we will look at in this series, I encourage you to pray and ask God if there is a need in your life for a meditative practice. If so, do some further study. I’m including a short list of verses and resources for you to check if you feel this is an area God wants you to pursue. As we said last week, don’t try to incorporate every discipline into your life all at once – but seek the direction of the Holy Spirit, and be obedient to that direction, building these disciplines into your life as He guides you. Let’s pray.

[1]Rev. Derek Kidner,MA, Psalm 1-72, An Introduction and Commentary on Books I and II of the Psalms. 1973, The Tyndale Press, Leicester, England. Pg. 48