How to Meditate Using the Bible
Meditation is the act of clearing one's conscious mind of distractions to focus, to think and to ponder. How to meditate using the Bible requires the act of clearing one's consciousness of secular thoughts and focusing on the words of God found within the Bible's passages.
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. (Joshua 1:8)
How to Meditate Using the Bible
The Bible is filled with scriptures, morality tales and wisdom. As a person ages and changes, so too so does the meaning of the passages within the Bible. A person may meditate on one passage in their 20s and find deeper meaning in the same passage a few years later. It is not difficult to learn how to meditate using the Bible; in fact, it is very simple. Meditations on scripture does not need to be a solitary act. Bible study groups may discuss and debate scriptures, as well as take moments to meditate on the meaning of a scripture. These group meditations can lead to a deeper understanding of self in relation to the divine.
How to Meditate
Choose a quiet place, at home, in the car, in Church or outside. Find a space that is restive, but not one where a person might go to sleep. Assume a comfortable position (sitting or laying down). Begin practicing relaxation breathing. Often a four count is a good way to begin. Inhale for four heartbeats and exhale for four heartbeats. A person should concentrate on breathing at first, and then gradually begin to recite the selected passage from the Bible mentally.
Whereas Eastern meditation techniques suggest emptying the mind, meditating on the Bible requires filling the mind. Selected scriptures are meditated on and allowed to fill up all the empty spaces of the consciousness. It is through this method that a person may feel oneness with God. The contemplation of the passage may lead the mind to other thoughts, ideas, revelations and synergy. The experience of meditating on the Bible allows a person to place Biblical perspectives on everyday problems, opening their mind to the infinite possibilities presented within.
Prayerful Meditation
Meditation seeks to create a relaxed state during which a person can attain stress relief. Prayer can provide many similar effects on the physical body. Prayer can also have a spiritual component as well as a physical component. Spiritual relief can provide stress relief as long as the prayer is one that relaxes a person and doesn't excite them. Consider praying for strength in desperation to do well on a test or an assignment at work. The need for the prayer may be valid, but it will not provide mental or physical relief to engage in that prayer if it only creates more tension. The difference between meditative prayer and petitionary prayer is that meditative puts one into a fully mindful state. The relaxed manner of it provides an opportunity to commune with God, to consider all the ways His will has worked in the world and on the individual's life. This is not about debating the existence of divinity, but accepting the presence of it. Relief from stress is found by dwelling in a mental place where the daily pressures are released into God's keeping.
Suggested Scriptures
Choose carefully.
When selecting scriptures for meditation, it's ideal to choose simple passages at first. Short passages are easier to remember, but as one gains confidence in mental recitation, longer passages may be selected. When choosing a scripture it is also important to select one that may be reflective of a current stress, concern or need. A person may simply choose to meditate on the Bible to feel closer to God rather than to solve an everyday problem. Meditation is akin to prayer in this situation, allowing a person to contemplate the word of God as detailed within the Bible.Some scriptures that may help a person begin their meditations are:
| May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord | Psalm 104:34 |
| Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. | 1 Timothy 4:12 |
| And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. | Deuteronomy 6:5 |
| Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: [he is] gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous | Psalms 112:4 |
| Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. | Colossians 3:13 |
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