Teen Tuesday: Meditating on God's Word

Written by Bro. Tim Minge

Life is noisy.  I’m not talking about planes flying so low over your roof they shake the roof or road construction that seems to be happening right outside your kitchen window.  Sometimes the busyness of life brings plenty of noise that distracts us from our purpose, our true priorities, or even God.  We find a solution to turning down the volume in life in the first part of Genesis 24:63.

“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide:” Gen 24:63

Isaac, Abraham’s son, lived a pretty unremarkable life compared to his father.  When you read about Isaac in the Bible, you won’t find too many exciting stories that keep you on the edge of your seat.  In fact, Isaac’s life might be considered a bit dry or boring to some.  It’s possible though that, what some view as a boring life, we might come to see as quieter living.  Genesis 24 reveals what I believe kept the noise out of Isaac’s life—meditation.

Meditation – At first mention, you might think of some guy sitting on the floor cross-legged, eyes closed, palms out, and quietly humming.  Actually, meditation is just simply thinking about something.  It is dwelling on anything, turning it over in your mind, and looking at it from different angles.  This type of meditating is found throughout the Bible.  In fact, God wants us to meditate, and He gives us some specific topics on which to focus our minds. One of those, and possibly the most important, is God’s Word.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."  Joshua 1:8

Here Joshua commanded the children of Israel to think about God’s Law all the time, day and night.  He instructed them that in doing so, it  would help them to obey God and guarantee prosperity and success.  Look what King David said about meditating:

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."  Psalm 1:2 

"O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day."  Psalm 119:97 

Remember when you received a love letter from that special someone?  Did you read it once, set it down, and go about your day?  Of course not!  If you’re like me, you probably read it through a few times, studied the choice of words, and tried to “read between the lines” to see what was really meant.  You may have even sniffed it to smell the scent of sweet perfume!  Why not read God’s Letter the same way?  (Sniffing doesn’t really apply.)

There are many ways to put this into practice.  Pick out a verse in the morning and just think about it for a few minutes throughout the day.  Jot down an encouraging or motivating verse on a card and stick it in your pocket.  Each time you’re reminded it’s there, take it out and reread it.  You can even get a mobile app that picks a verse for you each day.  However you choose to think about God’s words, just do it.  Meditating, or thinking, leads to understanding, and when we understand what God expects, we can more easily obey Him.

"I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation."  Psalm 119:99 

Try meditating on God’s Word today.  You don’t have to contort your body, burn incense, or even chant anything.  Isaac meditated alone in a field (Gen 24:63).  David meditated on his bed late at night (Psalm 63:6).  You can meditate in your bedroom, on a park bench, or on a walk around the neighborhood.  Just pick a Scripture, get alone to remove distractions, and think.