Day 9: Meditation

When you think about meditation, you typically think about some barefoot weirdo sitting with their legs crossed, hands out, humming like a generator with some incense in the corner. Yet, the Bible talks about meditating a lot. So, is this what God wants us to do?

There are two different types of meditation: Transcendental Meditation and Focused Meditation.

Transcendental meditation is where you try to completely rid your mind, body, and soul of any thoughts or noise. The goal is to empty yourself until you are just a “being.” Although I can appreciate the discipline this would take, I think it can be unhealthy. Whenever we are quiet and empty, we open ourselves up to hear anything whispered into our hearts, including the lies of the enemy. As believers, I don’t want to be empty. I want to be full of God’s presence, joy, peace, and Spirit. Focused meditation is a healthier practice that can bring us closer to the Lord.

Focus meditation is what we read about in the Bible. It’s where we choose something that is “excellent and praiseworthy” and spend time focusing on those holy things. For instance, this could be a Bible verse we want to repeat in our minds. Thinking about those scriptures over and over again help recognize them as truth and solidify them in our heart. Or sometimes, I like to do breathing exercises as I am practicing focus meditation. This is where I will breathe out slowly, verbally saying a phrase that encourages me, and then slowly breathing in verbally saying another phrase that will encourage me. I put this on repeat. Again, this helps me focus on true and Godly things. It recalibrates our soul to keep our lives focused on Jesus.

Scripture of the Day

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Examples of Meditation:

*Mediate on specific verses:

– Psalm 19:4

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” – Philippians 2:13

“The joy of the Lord is my strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10

*Breathing exercise on encouraging phrases for 5 minutes:
Breath in saying, “God is with me.” – Breath out saying, “I am not alone.”