One of the most challenging Bible passages to me is in Psalm 1:2. It says:
…his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
I’m deliberate about spending time in God’s Word each morning–a spiritual discipline that’s taken me a long time to develop. I know if I try to tackle my day without feasting on God’s Word, it’s nearly impossible for me to walk in His Spirit. If I go a few days without spending time reading and mediating on the Bible, look out. At that point, my sin has gravitated to the surface and is bursting out of my skin.
Something I’ve done a poor job of is spending time mediating on God’s word at night. First, let’s define what mediation is. I love what John Piper says,
The word “meditation” in Hebrew means basically to speak or to mutter. When this is done in the heart it is called musing or meditation. So meditating on the Word of God day and night means to speak to yourself the Word of God day and night and to speak to yourself about it.
Simple enough, right? Meditation is just speaking the Word of God to myself day and night. One way I’ve tried to do this is by memorizing a passage of scripture each week. Honestly, I’ve done an awful job at that this year. I need to make it a priority. I’m also chewing on a passage of scripture throughout the day by asking myself what it really means and how I can apply it to my life to make meditation a day and night practice.
For example, this morning I was reading Daniel 1, when Daniel and his friends request only vegetables instead of eating the luxurious food the king provides. In my notes I wrote,
Temporary restriction in our diet (fasting) or restriction in other areas (how we spend our money), reminds us we’re God’s people in a foreign land. We are dependent on the Lord to provide for us and to satisfy us, not anything else.
Today, I’m focusing on examining my life, letting the Word of God transform my heart, and looking for ways I can please Him in more areas of my life. I’m asking the Lord where I seek satisfaction other than in Him–areas that are in need of restriction and refinement to strip away idols and comforts that I run to instead of God.
As I mentioned, scripture memorization is a fail-proof way to meditate on God’s Word. My favorite app for scripture memorization (which I’ve mentioned before) is Fighter Verse. You can follow the included memorization plan or add your own verses and select from a handful of English translations. You can also make the scripture your phone lock screen and the app includes a number of quizzes to test yourself in memorization.
Ultimately, I want to take God’s Word to heart, store it in my heart, and let it reshape my heart–day and night.
