Sadly, many Christians have the idea that scriptural meditation is hard. Let me assure you, it’s not! There are a number of ways to do it and the Holy Spirit will help you find the one that works best for you.
Personally, I like to spend a whole week meditating on one text. I enjoy taking a single event in the Bible or a particular parable and meditating on it day after day.
Since the point of meditation is to let the Word of God take root in me, I often apply my physical senses to the passage I am pondering. If I’m meditating on the words Jesus spoke by the Sea of Galilee, for example, I imagine the smell of the sea. I see the crowds in my mind. I feel the warmth of the Middle Eastern sun on my shoulders. I step into that passage and experience it.
If I’m meditating on a simple scriptural truth, I focus my heart and mind on the reality of it until I am enveloped by the awareness of it. I’ll take Jesus’ words, “My peace I give to you,” for instance, and brood over that truth, pondering the fact that Jesus is now filling me with peace. As I do, my whole being will be awakened to the peace of God flowing into me. All fear will disappear as, by stepping through the door of meditation, I am gathered into Jesus’ perfect peace.
My husband, Mac, enjoys a different kind of meditation than I do. He likes to go outdoors and meditate upon creation. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” If you’ve ever been out to the ocean early in the morning and heard the birds singing like messengers of God, you know how literally true that scripture is.
Think of it! If you can learn to tune into what creation is saying, you can meditate on the majesty of God just by taking a walk!
Scripture Reading: Psalm 145:1 – 5
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”