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:
(Genesis 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.
Joshua here commanded the children of Israel to think about God’s Law all
the time, day and night. He instructed
them that doing so 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 got 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 an app that picks a verse
for you each day. However you choose to
think about God’s words, just do it.
Meditation, 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment