But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:2
Meditation means “to think deeply and
continuously about something.” For a Christian, this means remaining in the
presence of God and pondering each truth He reveals about Himself until it
becomes real and personal in your life. This takes time. In His Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus accused certain would-be followers of calling Him “Lord” and yet
never doing what He told them (Luke 6:46). They had the correct truth in their
heads, but it had never translated into obedience. When you meditate on
Scriptures, the truth moves from your head to your heart and results in
obedience. As the psalmist said: “Your word have I hidden in my heart, That I
might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).
When you know God's Word in your mind but not
in your heart, it means that you have learned the principles and concepts and
doctrines of God, but you have not come to know Jesus personally. You can
reject a doctrine, or ignore a concept, or challenge a principle, but it is
much more difficult to ignore a Person. You can have Scripture in your mind and
still sin against God. There are those who can recite long passages of
Scripture and yet live ungodly lives. However, you cannot have Scripture fill
your heart and continue to sin against God. When God's truth is allowed to
touch the deepest corner of your soul, the Holy Spirit will transform you into
the image of Jesus Christ. Don't just read your Bible; meditate on God's Word
and ask Him to change your heart.
Ask yourself how you should change so you're living as God wants. Knowing and
thinking about God's Word is the first step towards applying it to your
everyday life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what he
says.
- Excerpt from “Experiencing God Day-By-Day” by Henry and
Richard Blackaby