When we think of “meditation” we often envision someone seated with legs crossed in a dark room repeating their “ohms” over and over. It’s certainly a type of meditation, but not the type we as Christians need to invite into our lives on a day to day, moment by moment basis. When God invites us to meditate on His word, it’s less about setting up a perfect block of time where we can get silently into position with zero interruptions or distractions, and more about delighting in our Lord and his law “day and night” as Psalm 1:1-6 encourages.
How can we possibly do that though when the world around us requires so much of our attention? There are places to be, people to talk to or serve, things that need to be done. God knows that and yet still encourages us to meditate on his law “day and night” because He knows these other things we have to do will not give our soul rest unless we do them in His name and for His purpose, and we can’t do that unless we understand how He loves us, how He loves others, and how we can love more like Him.
Meditating on God’s laws and the purpose they serve in our lives is a moment-to-moment action. It’s taking a beat to ask what God wants from us in a situation before we respond. It’s waking up in the morning and asking God to center our thoughts and take hold of our mind and heart before the world has a chance to interject. It’s praising Him for His goodness and asking Him to guide us because we trust in His word and in the path he has set for our lives. It’s letting him lead the way at each opportunity so we can be more like Him in our thoughts, words and actions. In doing so, we can meditate on Him constantly.
When we do so, that stranger we say hello to at the store becomes a person we can share God’s love with. That chore we must do feels like a gift instead of a burden. That frustrating moment becomes an opportunity to act with the same grace Jesus would offer to us.
Meditating on God’s laws, His word and His goodness – whether through deep, silent moments of solitude or a quick glance in His direction – allows us to find delight in every situation God offers us. It’s like an unending connection to a stream of the purest water when we’re walking through a dry and dusty desert, offering us an unshakable foundation that’s rooted in Christ, which grounds us so we don’t scatter with the change of the winds and fall to the ways of this world.
