Meditate on God’s Word

In 2015, with no say in the matter, I left the battleground of my husband’s terminal illness and entered the wilderness of widowhood. After thirty years as a wife, this new country felt disorienting and dangerous in nearly every way. My instinct was to hide. Stay safe. Take no chances. The problem with that plan? I was only forty-nine. I knew in my heart that it was way too early to hunker down and run out the clock.

I began asking God for a strategy for moving forward into Part 2 of my Plan A. First I asked him if, perhaps, we could create a good life together from the comfort of my couch. He kindly said no. Next, I asked him for a map out of the wilderness, a way to quickly and efficiently move through sorrow, pain, and loneliness and get back to the life I used to enjoy. Also a no.

Instead of an easy escape, the plan that took shape involved me saying yes to the wilderness. Braving the quiet wild with intention and gratitude. Soaking up the beauty there and breathing in the fresh air of sacred adventure. This required less running and more waiting, less talking and more listening, less ricochet-thinking and more taking thoughts captive. In fact, the most important thing I learned to do as I built a new life was meditate on God’s Word. I know it sounds so simple and ordinary, but it has produced unbelievable results, including greater peace, less fear of the future, more joy and gratitude, increased mindfulness and ability to live in the moment, and a bigger awareness of the presence and purpose of God constantly flowing all around me. Meditation has become the Swiss Army knife in my stress relief toolbox. Since stress is the cause of so much sickness in our bodies and souls, its importance cannot be overstated.

So many forms of meditation and mindfulness have developed over the centuries that some Christians have backed away from the idea altogether. This is a tragedy. Meditation is an essential spiritual practice that is mentioned many times in the Bible. This kind of meditation is anchored in truth and focuses us on the person and purpose of Jesus Christ. It is calming, encouraging, and life-giving. Truth-based meditation teaches us to take every thought captive as we apply the Word of God to the wars that go on in our very busy minds.

Here’s just some of what the Bible says about meditation:

Meditate on God’s Word

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8 NIV)

This looks like: focusing on a verse word-by-word, slowly repeating it until it begins to sink into your soul.

Meditate on God’s Outrageous Love

“Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.” (Psalm 48:9 NIV)

This looks like: Rehearsing with gratitude the ways God has shown his love for you or for creation in general over and over again. Remember the events or moments where you have most deeply felt his love, and relive them so they become embedded in your memory bank.

Meditate on God’s Way

“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.” (Psalm 119:15 NIV)

This looks like: Focusing on one aspect of his character: kindness, truth, power, freedom, mercy, healing, etc. Or, simply breathing and praying on the inhale, “Oh, Great God,” and then on the exhale, “I love your ways.” Do this ten times as you drive to work or sit with your first cup of coffee.

Meditate on God’s Promises

“My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.” (Psalm 119:148 NIV)

This looks like: Remembering something God has promised–through his Word or to you personally and rolling it over and over in your thoughts. Think of the beautiful ways he has fulfilled that promise or imagine the many ways he is still at work in fulfilling it.

Finally, a few of my favorite verses about the importance of a disciplined, renewed mind:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 NIV)

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6 NIV)

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1-2 NIV)

As you can see, meditation and mindfulness are not new (or New Age!) ideas. They are as old as our faith and are powerful tools for spiritual growth and soul health. Meditation has helped change the way I think, the way I live, and the way I love. It has opened my heart to the voice of God and helped me build a new life that is filled with hope. Five years later, I am more confident, happy, and in love with his ways than I have ever been. If you’re longing for deeper peace or freedom, I encourage you to commit to just five minutes of meditation for eight weeks. Try it, and see how God meets you in the battlefield of your mind to bring new levels of joy, clarity, and courage.

Bo Stern-Brady is a speaker, author, and co-founder of Soulspace, a meditation app that helps Christians anchor their thoughts to the love of God. She is married to the second love of her life and they make their home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Photograph © Daria Shevtsova, used with permission